The International Olympic Committee had made its decision to award the 2016 Olympic Games to Rio de Janeiro long before the much publicised visit by US president Barrack Obama. Read the full story

The Danish capital has been reviewing the expense of hosting the latest International Olympic Committee meeting and all signs point to benefits significantly outweighing costs, according to the Copenhagen Post. Read the full story

As the Olympic committee gathers in Copenhagen, Denmark for Friday’s conclusion as to where the summer Olympics 2016 will be held, several important political figures from around the world will gather and take part in the work done, especially those trying to get the biggest sports event in the world to their country. Read the full story

The US President Barrack Obama will join with a group of influential fellow Americans to attend this week’s International Olympic Committee meeting in Copenhagen. The Copenhagen Post confirmed that Obama and others will be in the Danish capital to throw their weight behind Chicago’s Olympic bid for 2016. Read the full story

Olafur Stefansson, for years one of Iceland’s best handball players, was named Icelandic Sports Personality of the Year 2008, largely for his role in Iceland’s Olympic silver medal in the sport. He was awarded the full score of 480 points: “I am really happy with this. I am really happy with the year 2008,” he said. Read the full story

It has been a long time coming, but the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) has finally ruled that Camiro, the Norwegian horse ridden by Tony Andre Hansen during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing had been using a banned substance. The doping allegations have been ardently denied by everyone involved in Norway’s equestrian circle, but the Federation’s ruling is final. Read the full story

The 2008 Culinary Olympics, held in Erfurt, Germany, were a successful venture for a team of Finnish chefs, who served up a meal worth its weight in gold. The Finnish team won the gold medal in the annual competition for the three-course meal they served to the panel of judges in the hot kitchen category. Read the full story

In the end it was the price tag that sank Tromso’s bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics. In these uncertain economic times, nearly every organisation in Norway and most Norwegians themselves could not justify the costs over the possible benefits of hosting an Olympics. As a result, the head of Norway’s Olympic governing body, Tove Paule, made the announcement that Norway was withdrawing its application. Read the full story

When asked in a recent poll by authorities in Norway if its citizens would support the government spending around USD 5 billion to host the 2018 winter Olympics in the town of Tromso, more than half of them responded negatively. Although the percentage was just 51 per cent against using public funds to pay for the games, it shows that opposition remains strong Read the full story

Despite poor performances from many of Denmark’s favoured athletes, the Nordic nation still bagged its predicted seven medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The final tally came out as three bronze, two silver, and two gold medals.

Denmark’s most heavily favoured medal winners ended up bombing in their events, leaving the task of bringing home Olympic honour to the nation’s other athletes. Denmark’s two golds came from the 49er sailing race and the four-man rowing event.

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