Voting round totals.

[Conor Dary]

Pretty close in the first round. With Madrid winning the first round, I wonder how much of that is voters thanking Samarach for their job?

First round: Madrid 28 votes; Rio de Janeiro 26; Tokyo 22; Chicago 18 (Chicago eliminated).
Second round: Rio 46; Madrid 29; Tokyo 20 (Tokyo eliminated)
Final round: Rio 66; Madrid 32 (Rio to host 2016 Games)

[Halfmiler2]

Does anyone have the vote totals for the 2012 Games? I know NYC got eliminated in the second round but I do not recall the margin. I am guessing Chicago got about the same number of votes (maybe a bit better) in the 4-way vote as NYC did in the 4-way vote of its second round.

The rounds show that Rio looks like it was the second choice of almost all the Chicago and Tokyo voters. Even if Chicago had survived in the first round, it would not have beaten Rio.

What about 2020? I'd guess Madrid would not be able to mount as serious a challenge. Samaranch will be 93 years old if he is still with us. It would also be tough for Chicago to win after finishing last today and right after a Summer Olympic Games in the Western Hemisphere. Tokyo would seem to have a shot as would Paris (which came close for 2012).

[Kevin Richardson]

Why would the votes for Tokyo go down from the first round? Sure, foiks can change their minds, but it does make me wonder how firmly they believe in their choice. :?

[Halfmiler2]

It happens occasionally because someone may be pledged for political reasons to support a site in the first round that is not their first choice. And they can see which way the wind is blowing.

[Halfmiler2]

I looked up the 2012 vote myself:

1st round: London 22, Paris 21, Madrid 20, NYC 19, Moscow 16
2nd round: London 27, Paris 26, Madrid 32, NYC 16
3rd round: London 39, Paris 33, Madrid 31
4th round: London 54, Paris 50

So NYC got 1 more vote in the 1st round than Chicago did, but there were 4 more votes cast and one more competitior. In the second round, NYC got two fewer votes in a 4-way race, than Chicago got today and there were seven more votes cast. Still, a marginal improvement this time around - at best -given the appearance of President Obama.

[Al in NYC]

New York's bid was pretty much dead in the water by then anyway. After Bloomberg's west side Manhattan stadium plan was defeated no one here had any expectation that NYC stood any chance of winning. Chicago seemed to actually expect to win, their bid had not been compromised, they had an internationally popular President on their side, and they had been the favorite in most of the odds right up to the vote, all of which makes their first round elimination even more shocking.