France backs Rio's 2016 Olympic bid
AFP
BRASILIA - President Nicolas Sarkozy said Monday his country backed the bid by Rio de Janeiro to host the 2016 Olympics against competition from Chicago, Madrid and Tokyo.
"France supports Rio's candidacy for 2016. All our votes are yours, and we hope it happens," he told a joint news conference with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Brasilia, where he was attending Brazil's Independence Day celebrations.
The French president then joked to his counterpart: "And in the event that it won't compete with Brazil's ski resorts, we hope we'll get your support for (the French Alpine city of) Annecy for the 2018 Winter Games."
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is to announce the winning city on October 2, in Copenhagen.
Lula, who has helped Rio surge to be frontrunner alongside Chicago, is to attend.
In an interview with AFP last week, the Brazilian leader said he had made a deal with Spain's King Juan Carlos for mutual support in the IOC's voting rounds.
"We made a deal: if Brazil isn't in the second round, it can support Spain; but if Spain isn't in, it votes for Brazil. It's an honest game," he said.
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