The Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) announced on Friday that Rio de Janeiro will bid for hosting the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.

Rio will have to beat the cities, such as Tokyo and Hamburg. Rome and Milan are competing with each other to be Italy's candidate, as well as San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago are running for the position of United States' formal representative to host the Olympics.

In 2009, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will announce the city where the 2016 Games will take place.

Rio was one of the cities that bid for the 2004 and 2012 Olympics.

Rio will host the Pan American Games in the July 13-29, 2007, which could help the city's campaign, as long as the event is successful, COB officials said.

In Rios case, facilities are a strong point. And the support from the three government levels, municipal, state and federal, has been making the difference in international talks, said today COBs President Carlos Arthur Nuzman.

Source: Xinhua