President Lula was in China this week, along with Rio de Janeiro’s governor Sergio Cabral to promote the city of Rio for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Since the Olympics has never been held in South America, Lula pushed for the games to be held in Brazil, citing the country’s growing economy and better infrastructure. He claims that the Olympics shouldn’t just be held in rich countries, claiming that the financial burden would be manageable. He stressed that Brazil and South America as a whole deserve this opportunity.

Rio de Janeiro is up against Chicago, Madrid, and Tokyo for the 2016 Games. GamesBids.com, a website that rates potential Olympic cities, has rated Chicago as the most likely candidate to win the games. However, Rio was the site of the 2007 Pan American Games, and will be one of several Brazilian cities to host the 2014 World Cup.

To read the transcript of Lula’s speech on a weekly radio address about the Olympics, click here.