Illinois senator Barack Obama`s stunning win to become the first black president of the United States while obviously a boost to the Chicago bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games would not represent `a sea change` in the race, bid chief executive Pat Ryan told AFP on Wednesday.

Ryan, who made his name as a businessman by creating the global insurance giant AON, said that at the same time he hoped the newly-elected president would be able to turn up at the International Olympic Committee meeting in Copenhagen in October next year when they will vote as to who hosts the world`s biggest global sporting event.

`He (Obama) has been very supportive all along,` Ryan told AFP.

`But we must keep it in perspective. We are not looking at it as a sea change.

`It is only one of the factors that the IOC members take into account when they vote.

`However, he has been as I say very supportive, and for instance he has done a video for us and also took time off the campaign trail to help the bid.

`This bid as he and we see it is a way of unifying the country and reaching out to the world and building bridges,` added Ryan.

He said obviously he and his team were hoping that Obama could make it to Copenhagen, where as a source close to the IOC told AFP he would bring the house down.

`His (Obama`s) intention would be to come,` said Ryan.

`After all the precedent has been set by Blair (former British Prime Minister Tony Blair) and Putin (then Russian President and now Prime Minister Vladimir),` added Ryan, referring to political leaders whose presence had a huge impact on the successful bids of London and Sochi winning the 2012 and 2014 Summer and Winter Games respectively.

`Obviously it depends on what is happening at the time.`

Ryan said that the fact Obama - who at the time of the interview with results given in 48 states and the District of Columbia, had secured 349 Electoral College votes compared with 163 for McCain with Missouri and North Carolina too close to call - had been so much in the spotlight for so long had bene good for the bid.

`The spotlight of the world has been on Chicago and last night they (the world) saw 250,000 people crammed into the beautiful Grant Park which is in walking distance of 19 of the venues and 20,000 hotel rooms which illustrates the compactness of our bid.

`Clearly also the fact that Obama lives only a few blocks from where the main stadium is planned doesn`t hurt either.`

Ryan accepted the heavyweight role only after his close friend city Mayor Richard Daley who had offered him the job said he was both committed to the candidacy and secondly could sort out the problem over building the main stadium.

Chicago is up against fellow shortlisted candidates Tokyo, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro and the Japanese were clearly rattled by Obama`s victory and the impact it could have on the race.

`Japan will be in trouble. Mr Obama is good at speech-making and popular,` said Tomiaki Fukuda, a senior member of the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) executive board. earlier on Wednesday.