The race to bid for the 2016 Olympic Game is clearly hotting up with as many as seven cities making a beeline to host what is arguably the greatest sporting extravaganza on earth.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said in a release that Chicago, Tokyo and Madrid have joined Prague, Rio de Janeiro, Baku and Doha and after two years of assessment, the eventual winner would be decided on October 2, 2009 in Copenhagen.
IOC President Jacques Rogge had recently suggested going for a rotation policy so that African and South American countries get a chance to host Olympics, something they have not been able to do in the past.
Incidentally, Madrid was in the race to host 2012 Olympics as well before losing the bid to London. Spain hosted an Olympics in Barcelona in 1992 and now they are eyeing for a second Games in the country.
Tokyo is also bidding to host the Olympics for the second time, having hosted it in 1964. Though Chicago has not hosted it yet, the US did get a taste of it when Atlanta hosted the event in 1996.
