ALL SPORTS

The International Olympic Committee handed President Obama a humiliating defeat today after his home town of Chicago made a shock early exit in the race to become host of the 2016 Olympics, with Rio de Janeiro declared the winner.

A massive beachside crowd erupted in Rio as Brazil’s victory was announced - ushering in a new world order in sport - but there was stunned silence among the throng gathered in Chicago’s Daley plaza.

They had expected their city to win after Mr Obama had flown in Air Force One to Copenhagen, where the vote took place, to make a personal, last-minute appeal to the IOC delegates, along with his wife Michelle and the television star Oprah Winfrey.

The disbelief in Chicago after the city was knocked out first with the least number of votes symbolized the shock felt across America at such a crushing defeat and the fact that the IOC had delivered such a public humiliation to Mr Obama.

A White House spokesman said that Mr Obama was “disappointed” at the decision, but insisted that he was not sorry to have gone to Copenhagen.

Tokyo was second to exit the race, leaving Rio and Madrid as the final two cities contending for the 2016 games. In an announcement filled with tension and drama, Jacques Rogge, the IOC president, struggled to open the huge envelope containing the winning city, before declaring Rio triumphant.

It will be the first time the Games are held in South America. As the winner was announced, the jubilant Rio bid team fell upon Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who had earlier outshone even Michelle Obama with the passion of his speech to IOC members.

Pele, the Brazilian football legend, burst into tears, while 6,300 miles away from the vote in Copenhagen on Copacabana Beach, 50,000 people erupted in celebration, frantically waving flags and hugging each other. The party was expected to go on well into the night, and officials said the crowd would easily surpass 100,000 people.