He said: "Chicago is ready.

"The American people are ready.

"We want these Games."

The event dedicated to the Olympics, Paralympics and youth sport was arranged to demonstrate Obama's backing for Chicago, his adopted hometown, just 16 days before the International Olympic Committee (IOC) votes on which city should follow London 2012 and host the 2016 Games.

He said: "We are fired up about this.

"Let the Games begin, right here in the United States of America."

Obama will send his wife Michelle to lobby IOC members ahead of the vote at its Session in Copenhagen on October 2 when Chicago will face rivals Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.

Chicago officials had hoped Obama himself would make the trip, but he rung IOC President Jacques Rogge personally last week to explain he had to stay in the US to oversee plans to introduce an historic health care reform plan. 

The President said: "I would make a case in Copenhagen personally if I was not so firmly committed into making real the promise of quality affordable healthcare for every American.

"But the good news is I am sending a more compelling superstar to represent the city and country we love and that is our First Lady."

Chicago, the long-time favourites to be awarded the Games, have slipped behind Rio de Janeiro in recent weeks and Brazilian officials hope that Obama's absence will help their cause, especially as their President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has already promised he will be attending personally and has been lobbying IOC members for more than a year.



Obama, though, tried to dispel doubts that he is not behind Chicago as it tries to become the first US city to host the Summer Olympics since Atlanta in 1996.

He said: "I support this bid.

"The United States supports this bid.

"Our nation from the local to the national level is committed to the success of these Games.

"We want these Games, and if you choose Chicago, I promise you this, Chicago will make America proud and America will make the world proud.

"It is a city of bustle and gleaming promise, a city like America itself, where the world's races and religions and nationalities come together and reach for the dream that brought them here."

Michelle Obama gave a hint what her sales pitch might be like in Denmark during the White House ceremony, quoting the Olympic Charter at times and stressing the transformational power of the Games.

She said: "I'm reminded of the commitment to excellence that the Games embody.

"No matter where you are from, if you dream big enough and work hard enough, there are no limits to what you can achieve.

"The Olympics isn't just about what happens in one city every two or four years.

"It's also about how a nation is transformed during the years leading up to the Games, and the legacy that lasts in those cities long after.

"Barack and I would feel such tremendous pride to see the Olympic torch burning brightly in the city that we love so much."

Joining Obama for the event were Chicago Mayor Richard Daley as well as several Olympic gold medallists, including Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Mike Conley and Dominique Dawes.

Joyner-Kersee, who won six Olympic medals, including three gold, and who has been a supporter of Chicago's bid from the start, said the athletes did not try to persuade Obama to make the trip to Copenhagen.

She said: "I think it is so important to respect the President, and what he's doing right now.

"It's not only respect to him but also to this country."

After meeting with the Illinois Congressional delegation earlier in the day, Daley told reporters that given all the problems the nation faces, it s understandable if Obama does not go to the Danish capital for the IOC meeting.

He said: "I think if there is ever a possibility of coming he would."


Related stories
September 2009: Pound claims Barack Obama absence could hit Chicago's 2016 Olympic chances
September 2009: Obama to promote Chicago 2016 Olympic bid at White House
September 2009: Chicago not weakened by Barack Obama absence claims Ryan