On Friday the world of sports will turn its eyes and ears to Copenhagen, where, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will vote to decide who will host the 2016 Summer Games. In the final running are the cities of Chicago, Tokyo, Madrid, and Rio de Janeiro.

It is my opinion that the host city should be Rio de Janeiro. Why? Well, it’s about time. To date, not a single Olympiad (summer or winter) has been hosted in South America. The other three potentials have all been host nations in the past, some multiple times. The US has hosted the games more than any other individual nation, eight times.

The Olympics would give Rio an opportunity like no other. The games would be economically beneficial for the city and for Brazil as a whole. Like Barcelona in the past, Rio could use the Olympics to help improve standards of living, infrastructure, business development, and encourage investment.

Not only would it make history, but allowing Rio to host the games would send a strong message. South America, Brazil in particular, is a growing global economic and political player. They deserve to be treated and recognized as such. It’s time to take a chance and give Rio the opportunity to show the world what South America can do.

Who do you think should host the games? Vote here.