Rio de Janeiro - A crowd shouted in joy in Brazil's most famous beach, Copacabana, the moment IOC president Jacques Rogge said Rio de Janeiro was to host the 2016 Olympics.

The historic decision to take the Games to South America for the first time in history was met with a rain of confetti on the beach, where tens of thousands of people had gathered before a giant screen to watch the home stretch in the Marvellous City's race against Madrid, Chicago and Tokyo.

Piled up under a huge 2,200 square metre flag with the words "Rio loves you" and a drawing of the famous city symbol Christ the Redeemer, thousands of "cariocas" wearing Brazil's colours - green and yellow - were jumping, dancing and hugging each other in ecstasy.

The celebrations organized by city authorities - which had made Friday a holiday for public-sector workers - had started in the early morning in an atmosphere of great optimism and confidence.

"I'm sure Rio is going to win, it's not for nothing that I have not slept in three days," said Brazilian sprinter Andre Domingues.

A humble street vendor agreed.

"The world must move to Rio, it is the most beautiful city in the world," he said.

Confidence in the win was not exclusive to the man on the street. The football club Fluminense worked faster than IOC voters and posted in its website a text in which it celebrated in advance Rio's designation.

The real "out-of-season Carnival," however, started when it was announced that Chicago - regarded as Rio's main rival - was out of the race by the first round.

The crowd burst into singing typical of football stadiums: "I'm a Brazilian, with great pride, with great love."

The space of over one hour between the final vote and Rogge's definitive announcement generated a feeling that beach volleyball Olympic medallist Adriana Samuel defined as "a mix of anxiety and agony."

But the anguish became joy when Rogge said that the 2016 Games will be carioca. That triggered the party, which was set to continue into the night, complete with a performance from the percussionists of the Salgueiro samba school, which won the most recent edition of Rio's world-famopus Carnival.

A crowd shouted in joy in Brazil's most famous beach, Copacabana, the moment IOC president Jacques Rogge said Rio de Janeiro was to host the
2016 Olympics.

The historic decision to take the Games to South America for the first time in history was met with a rain of confetti on the beach, where tens of thousands of people had gathered before a giant screen to watch the home stretch in the Marvellous City's race against Madrid, Chicago and Tokyo.

Piled up under a huge 2,200 square metre flag with the words "Rio loves you" and a drawing of the famous city symbol Christ the Redeemer, thousands of "cariocas" wearing Brazil's colours - green and yellow - were jumping, dancing and hugging each other in ecstasy.

The celebrations organized by city authorities - which had made Friday a holiday for public-sector workers - had started in the early morning in an atmosphere of great optimism and confidence.

"I'm sure Rio is going to win, it's not for nothing that I have not slept in three days," said Brazilian sprinter Andre Domingues.

A humble street vendor agreed.

"The world must move to Rio, it is the most beautiful city in the world," he said.

Confidence in the win was not exclusive to the man on the street. The football club Fluminense worked faster than IOC voters and posted in its website a text in which it celebrated in advance Rio's designation.

The real "out-of-season Carnival," however, started when it was announced that Chicago - regarded as Rio's main rival - was out of the race by the first round.

The crowd burst into singing typical of football stadiums: "I'm a Brazilian, with great pride, with great love."

The space of over one hour between the final vote and Rogge's definitive announcement generated a feeling that beach volleyball Olympic medallist Adriana Samuel defined as "a mix of anxiety and agony."

But the anguish became joy when Rogge said that the 2016 Games will be carioca. That triggered the party, which was set to continue into the night, complete with a performance from the percussionists of the Salgueiro samba school, which won the most recent edition of Rio's world-famopus Carnival.  dpa