Lake Michigan shoreline vs. Ipanema beach.

The Sears Tower vs. Corcovado.

The blues vs. samba.

Obama vs. Lula.

That's what it may come down to when the host city of the 2016 Summer Olympics is selected Friday.

Chicago and Rio de Janeiro are the front-runners. Madrid and Tokyo are the underdogs. The cities have spent millions and promise to spend billions more for the expensive honor of showcasing themselves and the quadrennial sporting spectacle.

A king and a prince will be among the leaders in Copenhagen to lobby International Olympic Committee members before Friday's vote. But two of the world's most popular presidents -- Barack Obama of the United States and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil -- are expected to turn on the most charm as they make appeals for their cities.

Obama will be the first U.S. president to personally address IOC voters. He will lead Chicago's 300-member delegation and make a presentation on behalf of his adopted hometown. Initially, he planned to stay home to push healthcare reform while dispatching first lady Michelle Obama, who grew up on the city's South Side. Now both will laud Chicago's friendly neighborhoods, iconic architecture and blue lakefront.

In the game of winning the Games, bribery is out, following the corruption scandals of the 1996 Atlanta and 2002 Salt Lake City Games. But schmoozing is allowed. The Lords of the Rings are ready to be impressed.

IOC president Jacques Rogge expects the secret balloting of 106 members to come down to ``a couple of votes.'' Each city has 70 minutes to make its final case. In a random drawing, Chicago was picked to go first.

Heads of state proved to be influential in the last two votes. Tony Blair, then England's prime minister, swept in and captivated voters in 2005, when London upset Paris by four votes for the 2012 Games. Vladimir Putin, then Russia's president, attended the 2007 vote and helped put little-known Sochi over the top for the 2014 Winter Games.

Spain's King Juan Carlos is in Copenhagen. Tokyo is sending Crown Prince Naruhito and new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama. Brazilian president Lula da Silva will be there, describing the beauty of Rio's beaches and reminding IOC members that South America deserves to host its first Olympics.

``This is a fight,'' Lula da Silva said on his weekly radio program. ``And if we don't win, we'll have to prepare for another one. But I think we're going to return from Copenhagen with a victory.''

And Chicago? Its most famous boosters, the Obamas, raised two daughters in a Hyde Park house that's within walking distance of the proposed Olympic Stadium and many venues.

Oprah Winfrey, who not only has the gift of gab but a golden touch, also is in Copenhagen using her star power.

Presidential advisor Valerie Jarrett and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, both passionate Chicagoans, are going. Chicago's most famous athlete, former Bull Michael Jordan, is not, but 26 Olympians -- including Michael Johnson, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Nadia Comaneci, Brandi Chastain and David Robinson -- will be cheerleading in Denmark for the Windy City.

Mayor Richard M. Daley has called Obama the ``quarterback'' of the bid team. Obama has phoned IOC members, written letters and appeared in four videos promoting the City of the Big Shoulders. At first, Obama told the IOC he needed to focus on the healthcare debate at a critical time. Leaving Washington to lobby for the Olympics didn't appear to be politically expedient. He's still taking a gamble -- especially if Chicago loses -- and his adversaries are criticizing his priorities.

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