Washington  - It remains unclear whether United States President Barack Obama will travel to Copenhagen on October 2 to support Chicago's bid to beat off the challenges of Rio de Janeiro, Madrid and Tokyo to win the right to host the 2016 Olympic Games.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will make its decision in the Danish capital next Friday with Spain's King Juan Carlos and Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero heading the Madrid delegation, Brazil president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva lobbying for Rio and new Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama "seriously" considering helping the Tokyo bid in Copenhagen.

However, so far Obama has refused to commit to traveling due to his efforts to push through his health reform plans at home but on Thursday White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters that it was "absolutely" possible that Obama will make a quick trip.

"No final decisions have been made as of yet," said Gibbs en route to the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh, adding that a presidential advance team left the US on Monday to preserve the option for the US president to visit Copenhagen.

If Obama does decide to travel, it appears certain that he will only show up on the day itself, leaving the main lobbying to the bid delegation, including First Lady Michelle Obama and talkshow host Oprah Winfrey. (dpa)