Thousands of people stood in bewildered silence in downtown Chicago on Friday after the International Olympic Committee eliminated the city from the race for the 2016 Summer Olympics in the first round of voting. Rio de Janeiro was eventually selected, marking the first time the Games will be held in South America.
The stunning vote in Copenhagen was carried on huge television screens set up in the Daley Center to host what many believed would be a celebration. The choice of Chicago as the host city had seemed so likely to many still basking in the glow of hometown Sen. Barack Obama's election as president.
Instead, Chicago was bounced in the first round, bringing an audible gasp from the crowd. The elimination came so quickly - more than an hour before the final announcement - that people were still excitedly talking among themselves when IOC President Jacques Rogge announced: "The city of Chicago, having obtained the least number of votes, will not participate in the next round."
Many weren't sure what Rogge had said, and turned to each other to ask. Some just stood for a few minutes, staring at the screens, and at least one flung his hands into the air in a crude gesture toward the TVs. Within seconds, people began filing out of the plaza, though many stayed to see Rio de Janeiro ultimately chosen as the winner.
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