OLYMPIC REVIEW65 2016 HOST CITY I twas one of the most momentous Olympic host city announcements of recent years. As IOC President Jacques Rogge declared Rio de Janeiro the winner of the 2016 competition, an entire continent gasped at the realisation that its time had come. Welcoming South America to the Olympic fold, Rogge said: " This call to ' live your passion' [ Rio 2016' s slogan] clearly struck a chord with my fellow members and we now look forward to seeing Rio de Janeiro stage the first Olympic Games on the continent of South America." And passion there was. Adding credence to Brazilian President Lula da Silva's promise that the world's first " tropical" Games would " feel the warmth of our people, the exuberance of our culture and the sensation of our joy", more than 10,000 Cariocas ( as Rio residents are known) flocked to Copacabana beach for an all- night celebration. As joyous images of flag- waving and samba- dancing were beamed across the globe, one of Rio's key draws as an Olympic venue was breathtakingly apparent - the city's stunning natural setting between mountain and ocean. The 2016 Games will capitalise on these natural advantages. Copacabana Beach, with its four kilometres of pristine vanilla sand, will be the photo-genic location for beach volleyball. Competitors in the rowing and canoe/ kayak events at the ? LeftJubiliant celebrations on the beach after hearing the result AboveRio will be first South American city to host the Games

Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas venue can expect to race in the shadow of the statue of Christ the Redeemer at Corcovado. And cycling event participants will pedal for gold past iconic Sugar Loaf Mountain. It's not all about aesthetics, though. The beauty of Rio 2016 is that all of the events, bar some football matches, will be held inside the city boundaries, with many competitors staying within striking distance of key locations. With the Olympic and Paralympic Village adjoining the Olympic Park and Riocentro precinct, which together will host 14 Olympic and 13 Paralympic sports, some 46% of athletes will live within ten minutes of their competition and training venues. While new sports infrastructure developments are planned, Rio already boasts impressive facilities - a legacy of the 2007 Pan American Games. Notable among these is the 45,000- capacity João Havelange stadium, slated as the 2016 athletics venue. With Brazil set to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the 2016 Olympic Games will also benefit from infrastructure and stadia upgrades undertaken for that event, including that of the world- famous Maracana football stadium, the venue for the 2016 opening ceremony. Perhaps most tantalising of all, Rio 2016 presents a fantastic opportunity to engage a whole new audience in Latin America with the Olympic Movement - most significantly the region's younger population. Brazil is a famously youthful nation: of the country's approximately 190 million inhabitants almost a third are under the age of 18, heralding great things for the Games' legacy for future generations there. The Rio 2016 organisers and local authorities are already getting its young population on board in a bid to deliver social transformation in some of the city's more disadvantaged areas. A new approach to local policing, for example, engages the community in a range of social and sports programmes. The new X Park complex, which will host the BMX, mountain biking and white water canoe events, is also being promoted as a post- Games extreme sports centre for the city's youth. The park's location, Rio's Deodoro district, was carefully chosen: it houses the highest concentration of young residents in the city and currently lacks sports amenities. Elsewhere, as part of Rio 2016' s " Full Stadia Programme", organisers plan to use devices such as SMS alerts to encourage young media- and technology- savvy Brazilians to the Games. The message is clear: 2016 will be all about bringing the modern Olympic Games to a bright new audience in the New World. ¦ 66OLYMPIC REVIEW 2016 HOST CITY It may not have felt that way for the people of Chicago, Tokyo and Madrid when the words " Rio de Janeiro" echoed across Copenhagen's Bella Center on 2 October, but all of their cities stand to gain from their bids to host the 2016 Olympic Games. From the start of Chicago's campaign, organisers promised a lasting legacy for the city - especially for its younger dwellers - whatever the outcome. The cornerstone of this pledge, youth sport initiative World Sport Chicago, is already underway. The organisation offers youngsters sports classes, educational trips, coaching clinics and talks and demonstrations by Olympians and Paralympians. This summer alone, 30,000 of Chicago's youngsters - many from underprivileged neighbourhoods in the city's South Side - benefited from the scheme. Meanwhile, the land purchased for Chicago's Olympic Village will be developed regardless, serving as a catalyst for urban transfor-mation in and around the area where Barack Obama once worked as a community organiser. Tokyo can also take heart from its 2016 bid. Japan has experienced increased interest in sport, thanks in large part to its successful " Olympics For All" roadshow that saw Olympic athletes share their experiences with the wider community. Applicants for major sporting events such as the 2009 Tokyo Marathon, for example, have been at an all- time high. According to Tokyo 2016 Chair and CEO Dr Ichiro Kono: " Through this candidature process, we are proud to have successfully engaged youth in Japan with sport, healthy living and the Olympic Movement. Our participation in the bidding race has inspired all sections of Japanese society, from the sporting and business communities, to government and, even more importantly, the Japanese people." As for Madrid, many of its proposed Olympic projects will still go ahead. These include the Olympic Stadium, the Aquatic Centre, the Nuevo Arcángel Stadium in Córdoba, the Real Madrid Basketball Pavilion and the Manzanares BMX Park. Also in progress are social initiatives such as " Generation 16", which aims to bring sport into the daily lives of Madrileños. EVERYONE'S A WINNER RightBrazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva ( left) and IOC member Carlos Arthur Nuzman can't hide their joy