Japan’s Capital Tokyo to host 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games
The 2020 Olympic Games would be held at Tokyo, Japan. Also known as the XXXII Olympiad, it is scheduled to be held from 24 July to 9 August 2020.
The City won the bid to host the game by defeating Turkey’s Istanbul in the last round.
While 60 Votes were cast in favor of Tokyo, only 36 votes could be cast to support Istanbul. There were tangible concerns about the safety of Fukushima Nuclear Reactor in the wake of 2011 Earthquake, but the Japanese rubbished any chances of impact on Tokyo due to Fukushima.
“Tokyo can be trusted to be the safe pair of hands and much more,” bid leader and IOC member Tsunekazu Takeda said in the final presentation. “Our case today is simple. Vote for Tokyo and you vote for guaranteed delivery. … Tokyo is the right partner at the right time.”
A Possible Logo and Mascot of 2020 Olympic Games at Tokyo, Japan
“Congratulations to the city of Tokyo on its election as host of the 2020 Olympic Games. Tokyo presented a very strong technical bid from the outset – and it needed to in competition with two 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 membership, inviting us to “discover tomorrow” by delivering a well-organised and safe Games that will reinforce the Olympic values while demonstrating the benefits of sport to a new generation”, said IOC President Jacques Rogge.
The Tokyo 2020 Bid Committee estimates that the 2020 event could generate economic activity in Japan worth $30 billion and create more than 150,000 jobs.
Last time Tokyo hosted Olympic Games in 1964. The 1964 Summer Games were the first Olympics held in Asia, and the first time South Africa was barred from taking part due to its apartheid system in sports
These games were also the first to be telecast internationally without the need for tapes to be flown overseas as in the case of the 1960 Olympics four years earlier
