Other also-rans didn't stand a chance against Rio
COPENHAGEN -- When it came right down to it, Madrid and Tokyo could do nothing to sway IOC voters from the prospect of a South American Olympics.
The two bids made the second round Friday after Chicago was shockingly eliminated in the first round, but neither managed to pick up significant backers among the International Olympic Committee members as the process continued.
Madrid had not been expected to make the final, but former IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch, now 89, made a startling appeal to the members, asking them to remember his age when they cast their vote and telling then that he was "very near the end of my time."
Maybe it worked.
Madrid ended up with the most votes in the first round, garnering 28 of the 94 that were cast. Rio was second with 26, followed by Tokyo with 22 and Chicago with 18.
In Madrid, thousands of supporters gathered in front of the Royal Palace hoping to celebrate with huge multicolored hands -- the city's bid symbol -- but left dejected.
"We lost because the others are in London, and they needed to make a change," 19-year-old Lara Perez said.
Public support had been one of Madrid's strongest points, and organizers had been confident that Madrid's readiness, experience and reputation would help it overcome the geographical liability of following London in 2012 and Sochi in 2014 as European hosts of the Olympics.
Spanish prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said Madrid left with "dignity" and didn't rule out a 2020 run.
Tokyo also did better than many expected, but its bid lacked much flair and instead offered reassurances of financial security, with $4 billion already banked for the Games, and compactness.
Geography again might have played a factor with the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
"I'm so disappointed," said Yuko Arimori, a 1992 Olympic silver medalist and 1996 bronze medal winner in the women's marathon.
AP