Making its final pitch to the International Olympic Committee, Rio de Janeiro emphasized the history to be made in Brazil. The city’s bid representatives campaigned with a world map that grouped previous Olympic hosts by continent. South America and Africa appeared glaringly empty. The message was simple: A vote for the white-sand beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema, the land of samba and caipirinhas and Carnival and Christ the Redeemer, was a vote for the first Olympic Games in South America.
