CAPITAL BID
Tokyo Chosen as Japan's Candidate to Host 2016 Olympics (October 25, 2006)
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| The Tokyo team promotes the city's bid. (Jiji) |
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Tokyo has won the race to become Japan's candidate to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. The Japan Olympic Committee's selection committee met on August 30 to choose between Tokyo and Fukuoka, and the capital city garnered 33 out of 55 votes. The last Japanese contender for the Summer Games was Osaka, which campaigned to host the 2008 event. Tokyo will now be vying with other candidate cities around the world in the hope of hosting the Olympics for the second time, following the highly successful 1964 Summer Games.
A Compact Olympics
Tokyo and Fukuoka submitted their plans for hosting the 2016 Olympic Games to the JOC on June 30. Representatives of sports associations and JOC board members then toured the proposed venues and compiled evaluation reports on which the final votes would be based. Both cities were equally eager to host the Olympics.
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| The Tokyo Metropolitan Government building is lit up in the Olympic colors. (Jiji) |
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Highlighting its globally renowned urban infrastructure, Tokyo based its campaign on the concept of "the most compact Olympic Games ever." The sites for 26 of the 28 competitions would be located within a 10-kilometer radius and would all be accessible within 20 minutes thanks to Tokyo's famously efficient, safe, and speedy transport network. Cutting-edge technology in areas like networks and robotics, for which Japan is renowned, would also be employed to make the Games run as smoothly and securely as possible.
By proposing to reuse some of the venues for the 1964 Olympics, the Tokyo plan also accorded with the International Olympic Committee's call for concentrating the venues in a small area. Emphasis would also be placed on the environment, with renewable energy sources including solar power used to power the athletes' village and all waste recycled using Japan's pioneering environmental technology. With every possible amenity and emergency service readily available, athletes and visitors to the Games could be sure of a safe and comfortable stay. Tokyo's international fame and financial resources won strong backing from JOC officers looking to choose a city that could win the world race.
The Tokyo bid team will have no time to relax between now and the Olympic Congress in October 2009, when the host city of the 2016 Games will be decided.
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Copyright (c) 2006 Web Japan. Edited by Japan Echo Inc. based on domestic Japanese news sources. Articles presented here are offered for reference purposes and do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Japanese Government.
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