You may have been unaware that one of the tightest election campaigns is happening this week. This Friday in Copenhagen, 4 cities will be fighting it out for the pride to host the 2016 Olympic Games.

This time four years ago London had already celebrated an IOC election upset by beating Paris by 4 votes (54 votes to 50) in Singapore. This time around it is said to be an even closer contest between Rio, Madrid, Chicago and Tokyo. The bookies believe the two favourites are Chicago and Rio De Janeiro and many say that Rio has the advantage going into the final week.

Rio seems to have the ‘emotional’ support of the IOC as no South American nation has hosted an Olympics. Many nations argue that the cities high crime rate is a major security factor and that Brazil are hosting the 2014 FIFA World Cup Finals that will apparently take away the media spotlight of the Olympics.   

The Chicago bid points out that by the year 2016, the Summer Olympics will have not been on North American soil for 20 years (since Atlanta 1996). This would be of note to the IOC members because not having the World’s Largest sporting event in the World’s Richest country might have big effect on the Olympics Major Sponsors.

The Chicago bid had been holding out for the ‘Obama Effect’ and it seems the 'superhero' will join his wife Michelle, in Denmark to try and save it for his hometown. The Chicago's bidding team only needs to look at the London 2012 bid as an example. Remember the ‘BBC Effect: Blair, Beckham, Coe’ that is said to have won it for London in Singapore?

Who will win? Vote your ideal choice in Poll on the left.

Also, Did you see the Obama Effect on a baseball and a Grandma?