Obama to visit Denmark to pitch for Olympics

President will lead the appeal to bring the 2016 Summer Games to Chicago

NBC News and news services
updated 12 minutes ago
function UpdateTimeStamp(pdt) {
var n = document.getElementById("udtD");
if(pdt != '' && n && window.DateTime) {
var dt = new DateTime();
pdt = dt.T2D(pdt);
if(dt.GetTZ(pdt)) {n.innerHTML = dt.D2S(pdt,((''.toLowerCase()=='false')?false:true));}
}
}
UpdateTimeStamp('633897405227730000');

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama will travel to Copenhagen to lead the U.S. appeal for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Chicago, officials said on Monday.
The president will leave Thursday and will join his wife, Michelle, and others in his administration, including Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood and Education Secretary Arne Duncan, in making the pitch, NBC reported.
Obama would be the first U.S. president to take on such a direct role in lobbying for an Olympics event
Chicago faces tough competition from Rio de Janeiro, Madrid and Tokyo. Heads of state representing Rio and Madrid are also expected to attend the Copenhagen meeting.
Final decision made over weekendObama made the final decision Saturday night, officials told NBC News. He had previously said he would not be able to attend because of the health care debate, dispatching Michelle Obama to make Chicago’s pitch in his stead.
However, the White House sent an advance team to Copenhagen last week in case Obama could make the trip after all. After returning from last week's meetings of the United Nations in New York and the G-20 in Pittsburgh the president made the final call that he would take the trip.
Michelle Obama is still planning to attend and will travel Tuesday night to spend the week lobbying officials from the International Olympic Committee.