Rogge: 2016 choice proves Olympics aren't about 'big money'

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COPENHAGEN (AP) -- IOC president Jacques Rogge says the decision to give Rio de Janeiro the 2016 games shows the Olympic movement isn't out to make "big money" on its showcase event.

Rogge said Monday that bringing the Olympics to South America for the first time should end criticism that the IOC chooses host cities based on financial profit. The American broadcast rights for the Rio games are expected to be worth considerably less than if the games had gone to Chicago, which was eliminated in the first round.

Tokyo and Madrid were the other candidates.

"It's clear that the IOC in its choice has not chosen -- as it was criticized for many times -- the big money," Rogge said at his closing news conference at the Olympic Congress in Copenhagen. "Had we had big money as a consideration we would have come to Chicago, that's quite sure. So that proves that money is not the driving force in the choice of an Olympic city."

The IOC gets more than half its revenue from broadcasting deals, and U.S. deals alone have been worth more than the rest of the world's broadcasters combined. NBC paid $2.2 billion for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and 2012 London Games, and American networks were expected to bid for combined rights to the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and a potential 2016 Chicago games.

Although the IOC likely will get more lucrative deals in Brazil and the rest of South America, those deals are unlikely to offset the potential revenue loss. Still, Rogge said he believes the damage will be limited.

"I don't think personally that this will be a significant diminishment of the revenues," he said. "But, wait and see."

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