Olympics

CHICAGO (CBS) ― President Barack Obama will be traveling to Copenhagen, Denmark, for a final 2016 Olympic push for Chicago, White House officials said early Monday.

Valerie Jarrett told The Associated Press Monday morning that the president will leave Thursday and will join his wife, Michelle, and others in his administration, in making the pitch. Obama would be the first U.S. president to take on such a direct role in lobbying for an Olympics event.

The International Olympic Committee will decide in Copenhagen on Friday whether Chicago will get the 2016 Games, or if it will be Madrid, Tokyo or Rio de Janeiro.

Previously, President Obama indicated that the need to pass health care reform would require him to remain in Washington for the final Olympic push, and that Michelle Obama would lead the delegation.

But Politico said the White House has now confirmed Obama has changed his mind.

White House Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett, Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will also go to Copenhagen, as will Oprah Winfrey.

The chief executives Spain, Japan and Brazil will also attend.

Mayor Richard M. Daley and Chicago 2016 Chairman Pat Ryan are already in Copenhagen, and rehearsed their presentation on Sunday. Chicago faces tough competition from Rio de Janeiro, Madrid and Tokyo.

Obama, who represented Illinois in the U.S. Senate after serving in the Illinois Legislature, is a longtime supporter of Chicago's bid. He and Michelle consider it their adopted home town, and he recently sent letters to selected IOC members, promising a "spectacular Olympic experience for one and all."

"President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama symbolize the hope, opportunity and inspiration that makes Chicago great, and we are honored to have two of our city's most accomplished residents leading our delegation in Copenhagen," Mayor Richard M. Daley said in a statement. "Who better to share with members of the International Olympic Committee the commitment and enthusiasm Chicago has for the Olympic and Paralympic Movement than the President and First Lady."

The president had held off on announcing a trip to Copenhagen, saying his first priority was the ongoing debate in Washington over health care reform. The legislation is a signature piece of his domestic policy agenda and negotiations on Capitol Hill have been contentious.

But with heads of state representing Rio and Madrid already scheduled to attend the IOC meeting Friday, Chicago's bid organizers had hoped Obama would make an in-person appeal.

"I don't think there's an IOC member on the planet that wouldn't love to meet your president. He's a transformational figure in the world today," longtime IOC member Dick Pound said recently.

Obama is also mobilizing his administration on behalf of Chicago's bid. Senior adviser Jarrett, Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, will also be joining the president and first lady in Copenhagen. All are from Illinois.

They join a Chicago contingent already packed with more star power than a Hollywood red carpet. The first lady is one of the few people who rivals her husband in visibility, and she'll be joined by talk show host Oprah Winfrey, who trails only Angelina Jolie on Forbes' annual Celebrity 100 list, a ranking of the rich and famous' most powerful.

Chicago is also bringing 14 Olympic and two Paralympic gold medalists, including Michael Johnson, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Nadia Comaneci and Nastia Liukin.

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