Michelle Obama begins US pitch to take 2016 Olympics to Chicago in Copenhagen presentation

Michelle Obama pitches Chicago bid for Olympics

COPENHAGEN — U.S. first lady Michelle Obama made a personal plea for bringing the 2016 Olympic games to Chicago, telling officials who will pick the host country that she saw sports bring her hometown together as a child and today hopes the games would bring the world together.

Mrs. Obama told the International Olympic Committee members on Friday that she is dreaming the Olympic flame might light up her former neighborhood and others like it around the globe. She touted her own connections to Chicago, growing up on the city’s South Side.

Obama and her husband, President Barack Obama, made a direct appeal to the IOC on the day it will decide the next host. The president flew overnight to the Danish capital.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

COPENHAGEN (AP) — President Barack Obama says the United States is “ready and eager” to host the 2016 Olympics in his adoptive hometown of Chicago.

Praising the United States’ bid to host the games, Obama told the International Olympic Committee the bid deserves their support. He said early Friday that they should choose Chicago for the same reason he picked it 25 years ago — because it’s a great and diverse city.

He says there is nothing he would like more than to have the games just a few blocks from his own family’s home in Chicago.

Obama is trying to push Chicago’s bid over the top. The IOC will decide the host city later in the day. Obama is expected to be flying back to the U.S. when the choice is announced.

Chicago is competing against Rio de Janeiro, Madrid and Tokyo.