 Rio de Janeiro bid to host the 1936 , 2004 and the 2012 Games , but failed on every occasion ; missing the shortlist in the two latest attempts , while the bidding process for 1936 did not follow the current standards . For the first time in the Candidature phase , the official bid flag was raised during a ceremony held at the <unk> da <unk> ( English : City 's Palace ) on June 23 , 2008 , celebrating the Olympic Day . On July 3 , 2008 , the Rio de Janeiro bid committee paid a fee of USD 500 @,@ 000 to the IOC and signed the Candidature Procedure , <unk> its acceptance of the rules . Then , Rio officials participated in the Olympic Games Observers Program from August 8 to 24 , during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing , China ; and attended the IOC Official <unk> of the Beijing Games from November 24 to 27 , in London , United Kingdom . On February 11 , 2009 , the Rio de Janeiro bid committee delivered its Candidature File to the IOC in Lausanne and , eight days later , to the International Paralympic Committee ( IPC ) in <unk> , Germany ; containing the responses to the 2016 Candidature Procedure and <unk> , as well as guarantees and undertakings . The Candidature File had three volumes containing 568 pages of detailed answers to 300 technical questions , divided into 17 themes . Finally , on June 17 , 2009 , the IOC organized the 2016 Candidate Cities <unk> to 93 of its members at the Olympic Museum , being the first such meeting in its history and the most important before the election . Rio officials came out stronger after a presentation of 45 minutes , considered to be exceptional , followed by a session of 16 questions . 
