HispanicBusiness

The International Olympic Committee selected Brazil's Rio de Janeiro to host the 2016 Olympics, passing up Chicago despite the high-profile efforts of President Obama to campaign for his home city.

Also eliminated were Tokyo and Madrid.

The decision came on the same day that President Obama had made a 10-minute speech to IOC members in Denmark. The United States has not hosted a Summer Games since Atlanta in 1996. The last time a U.S. city hosted any Olympic games was in 2002, when the Winter Games were held in Salt Lake City.

Rio de Janeiro will be the first South American city to ever host an Olympic Games.

In a shocker, despite Obama's speech -- in which he stated "the city of Chicago and the United States of America will make the world proud" -- the IOC rejected Chicago in the first round of deliberations, according to The Washington Post.

After making his speech, Obama took a seat next to Chicago Mayor Richard Daley as members of the IOC posed questions. At one point, he responded to a query from a Pakistani IOC member, who said getting into the United States can be a "harowing" experience for visitors from other countries.

Obama answered: "One of the legacies I want to see coming out of (the Games) is a reminder that America at its best is open to the world." He added, "We are putting the full force of the White House and State Department to make sure that not only is this a successful Games, but that visitors from all around the world feel welcome and will come away with a sense of the incredible diversity of the American people."