The election of the host city of the 2016 Olympic Games will take place on 2 October 2009 during the 121st IOC Session in Copenhagen (Denmark). The city which obtains the absolute majority of votes will be elected.
Final report before the vote
Following the presentations of the Candidate Cities, the Evaluation Commission Chairwoman, Nawal El Moutawakel, will present a final report. A secret ballot will then be held among all IOC members. The announcement of the Host City will be made during a 30 minute ceremony which will begin at 6.30 p.m. local time.
Voting procedure
Voting will take place in successive rounds until one candidate receives a majority vote. IOC members in a country which has a candidate in the election must abstain from taking part in the vote whilst their city is still in the running.
Non-votes, spoiled votes and abstentions do not count towards the calculation of the majority. For example, if 100 members are present but four (4) abstain, the number of votes needed for a majority is 49.
If there is no majority in the first round, the city with the fewest votes drops out of the running, and the members vote again for the remaining candidates. If two or more cities are tied for the lowest number of votes, a run-off election is held between them, with the city gaining the most votes going on to the next round.
Televised Vote
As part of the reforms undertaken by the IOC at the end of 1999, IOC Sessions are open to the media via closed circuit telecast. This has been the case since the 109th Session in Seoul in 1999. The closed circuit feed of the election is available for broadcast.
Electronic vote
The members vote using an electronic voting system, which immediately and securely tallies the votes. The electronic voting system was first introduced during the 111th Session in Sydney in 2000 as part of the IOC’s drive to update its policies and procedures. The voting system is certified by an independent company. How each member votes is not recorded to shield the member from external pressures to vote in a certain way. If multiple rounds are needed, the city with the least number of votes is eliminated and announced and there is a new round of voting. The tally of votes per round is reported after the conclusion of the election.
The 4 candidates cities
Chicago (USA)
Tokyo (Japan)
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
Madrid (Spain)
* Cities are listed in the order of drawing of lots