The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that Tokyo, Japan’s capital would host the 2020 Olympic Games. Japanese citizens watching the announcement on television cheered when word came that Japan was successful in its Olympic bid. Jacques Rogge, IOC president, confirmed Tokyo as the venue at a press conference in Buenos Aires. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe himself made the presentation to the IOC and led the two-year campaign.
Tokyo will be hosting the Olympic Games for the second time, the first was in 1964. Brazil is the host of the upcoming 2016 Summer Olympics while the next Winter Olympics is set in Russia next year.
The vote
In the first round of voting on Saturday, Tokyo was at the lead, but it did not get the needed majority. A tiebreaker was needed to decide between Madrid and Istanbul which were tied at second place. Spain was considered as the main rival of Japan, but Turkey’s capital won that vote. In the final reckoning, Tokyo won with 60 votes. Istanbul got 36 votes.
Prince Philip of Spain who was a forerunner in Olympic sailing presented Madrid’s case, but the IOC may have been concerned about the recession, despite assurances from the Spanish royal. Turkish and Spanish athletes were involved in the past in doping charges and there are speculations that these influenced the results as well. Turkey’s proximity to Syria may also have turned the votes against Istanbul. If Istanbul got the vote, Turkey would have been the first Muslim country to host the Games.
“Safe and secure Olympic Games”
Prime Minister Abe was joyful that Japan was chosen over Spain and Turkey. He made the argument to the IOC that Japan would conduct an effective clean-up of the Fukushima Plant, which leaked radioactive materials after the damage wrought by the last major earthquake that hit the country. The prime minister made a promise that Japan would fulfill its responsibilities to the Olympic community in time for 2020.
Cheers and celebrations
Olympic fans gathered at certain venues in Japan such as the Komozawa Gymnasium in Tokyo that was built for the Tokyo 1964 Games. They erupted in cheers, laughed, and jumped up and down. People either stayed up late or woke up early to witness the announcement.
In a speech made after the announcement, the prime minister of Japan said that his countrymen “need hopes and dreams” and the “power of sport. After the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan in 2011, athletes helped out and showed that sport could unite people. He also recalled the positive effect of the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo which made a lasting impression on him. He was only 10 years old at that time.
Preparations
Japan won the Olympic bid at six billion dollars. Istanbul’s bid was almost thrice as much mainly due to the needed developments in infrastructure, including its transportation system. Japan already has facilities that could accommodate the requirements of hosting the Games. Tokyo’s new and futuristic $1.5 billion Olympic stadium perfectly embodies “Discover Tomorrow,” Japan’s Olympic slogan.
Photo Credit: Postage stamp depicting the 18th Summer Olympic Games held in Tokyo, Japan
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