Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva appealed on Sunday to his Latin American neighbors and African leaders for support for Rio De Janeiro’s bid for the 2016 Olympics.
The International Olympic Committee will decide the host for the 2016 Olympic Games on October 2, choosing from candidate cities including Chicago, Madrid, Rio De Janeiro and Tokyo.
“I want the presidents and ministers to speak to the delegates and implore them to vote for Rio on October 2. The world’ s biggest sporting event cannot always be held in rich countries,” Lula said.
Lula is part of Brazil’s Olympic delegation that will be present in Copenhagen, Denmark, for the official announcement of the event’s location. The Olympics are expected to generate an estimated 90 billion U.S. dollars.