Rio de Janeiro's 2016 Olympic bid team hit the ground running here Tuesday, making a stout case for the Games to be awarded to South America for the very first time and ruffling rival Chicago's feathers in the process.

With just three days frantic lobbying to go before Friday's IOC vote Rio rolled out the top brass ahead of the arrival of reinforcements in the shape of President Lula and national icon Pele, due in the Danish capital on Wednesday.