NEWS REPORT
‘Safe and well organised’ bid wins it for Tokyo
Japan’s ability to organise and deliver on major projects won it the 2020 Olympic bid ahead of Istanbul
J
apan’s reputation as a safe, democratic nation and its fortitude in the face of a major challenge – as demonstrated by
the rebuilding which took place after the tsunami and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster – has landed it the honour of hosting the Olympic Games. Tokyo’s winning bid received 60 votes
to Istanbul’s 36 in the final round of voting by the International Olympic Com- mittee (IOC) at the 125th IOC sessions in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in September. Madrid had been eliminated in the first round, after losing a tie-breaker with Istanbul. It’s thought civil unrest in Istanbul cost the city the bid, with IOC committee members nervous that the
Jacques Rogge, IOC president, reveals the winner at the IOC session in Buenos Aires
Games could be disrupted by protests – a largely unheard of problem in Japan.
CENTRE STAGE The main venue of the 2020 Games will be Tokyo’s National Olympic Stadium – built originally for the 1964 Games – which will be demolished and rebuilt in a US$1bn scheme designed by London-based architect Zaha Hadid. The project will be completed in time for the venue to host games during the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Jacques Rogge, president of the
International Olympic Committee (IOC), stressed the importance to the IOC of ensuring the 2020 Games is of the highest quality, saying: "Tokyo presented a very strong technical bid from the outset
– and it needed to in competition with such high-calibre bids from Istanbul and Madrid. All three cities were capable of staging excellent Games in 2020, but in the end it was Tokyo’s bid that resonated the most with the IOC committee. We believe Tokyo will deliver a well- organised, safe Games that will reinforce Olympic values, while demonstrating the benefits of sport to a new generation, by inviting us to 'discover tomorrow’.”
BUILDING IT UP Tokyo’s organising committee has budgeted US$10bn for the Games, including the cost of constructing venues and improving transport infrastructure. Tokyo last hosted the Summer Games in
1964. At that time, it signalled its rebirth as a modern city after the destruction caused by World War II. Japan’s economy has been suffering from deflation for 15
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