Obama is a Chicago resident and was a Senator in Illinois who has been an enthusiastic supporter of the city's bid to follow London and host the 2016 Olympics.

 

He has backed the bid since 2006 when he appeared in a video in support of the city’s attempt to secure the official US bid – which it did by beating Houston, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

 

Chicago officials will now be hoping that Obama can be persuaded to follow the lead of British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Russian President Vladimir Putin and travel to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Copenhagen on October 2, 2009, where they will be one of four cities hoping to be chosen to host the 2016 Games.

 

The others are Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.

 

Blair was widely credited with helping IOC members swing behind London's campaign to host the 2012 Olympics when the decision was taken at its Session in Singapore in 2005 while Putin played a high-profile role when he travelled to Guatemala in 2007 to back Sochi's successful bid to host the 2014 Winter Games.

 

Patrick Ryan, the chief executive of Chicago 2016, said: "He [Obama] has travelled around the world.

 

"He is a very highly regarded international global figure.

 

"He loves sport and he is very proud of Chicago.

 

"We want him to be present.

 

"If things are normal he will be there."

 

Tsunekazu Takeda, the president of the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC), admitted that if Obama were to visit Copenhagen to campaign on Chicago's behalf than IOC members could be swayed by the stardust he would undoubtedly sprinkle over their bid.

 

He said: "I wonder how IOC members will react when Mr. Obama appears in a presentation for Chicago."

 

Tomiaki Fukuda, another member of the JOC's ruling Board, said: "Mr. Obama is popular and good at speeches, so things could get tough for Japan."

 

Ichiro Kono, the chief executive and chairman of Tokyo's bid, tried to down-play the impact that Obama would have on the race.

 

He said: ‘‘It was within expectations.

 

"We will just do what we have to do no matter who becomes US president."

 

Obama currently resides in the Hyde Park neighborhood of the city, a couple of blocks away from the proposed site of the Olympic Stadium in Washington Park, should Chicago be chosen to host the Games.

 

In a statement, Chicago 2016 said: “Congratulations to President-elect Barack Obama from Chicago 2016 on his historic campaign win for the US Presidency. 

 

"President-elect Obama has been an outstanding advocate for the City of Chicago for years and an ardent supporter of our bid from the beginning.

 

"We are looking forward to working with him and bringing the Games to Chicago and welcoming the world to our great city in 2016.”

 

Privately senior officials at Chicago feared that a victory for Obama's Republican rival John McCain could have had a hugely negative impact on their bid.

 

He was a well-known opponent of the Olympics and is not liked by many IOC members.

 

He chaired a Senate Committee following the allegations that Salt Lake City had bribed IOC members to win the right to host the 2002 Winter Olympics and tried to block $1 billion (£500 million) worth of Government subsidies to them.

 

He had also said during the US Presidential election campaign that if he had been in power he would have boycotted attending the Olympics in Beijing in protest at China's human rights record.

 

If Chicago's bid was to be successful, then the 2016 Games would come towards the end of Obama's eight-term as President, providing he was to win a second term in 2012.