ID :
14911
Tue, 08/05/2008 - 14:49
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/14911
The shortlink copeid
Olympics: Tokyo launches campaign for 2016 bid in Beijing+
BEIJING, Aug 5 Kyodo - Tokyo unveiled its slogan ''Uniting Our Worlds'' as its bidding theme Monday as it aims to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games on the most compact scale in recent history.
Tokyo, which hosted the 1964 Summer Olympics, is attempting to stage the world's largest sporting spectacle in Asia for the second time in eight years following the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The Japanese capital cleared the first hurdle in the selection process in June, earning the highest score among the four surviving candidate cities that also include Chicago, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro.
''In eight years the IOC will have one Olympic Games in North America (2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics) and two Olympic Games in Europe (2012 London Games and 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics), so why not Japan?'' said Ichiro Kono, chairman of Tokyo 2016, at a press conference held just four days ahead of the opening of the Beijing Games.
Kono, who has been in charge of the Japanese Olympic Committee's Gold Plan for the long-term development of athletes since 2001, said Tokyo's bid had more to do with the support of the Japanese people than with its medals performance in Beijing.
''It isn't really about the medals count here but the impression of the Japanese people. That is the biggest factor for us,'' said Kono. ''Based on independent surveys already over 70 percent of Japanese support the 2016 bid. That's about 100 million people supporting us.'' In line with the theme of ''Uniting Our Worlds'' the logo concept for the Tokyo 2016 Olympic bid takes the form of a traditional Japanese knot, known as ''MUSUBI.''In hosting the 2016 Olympics, Kono said Japan's largest metropolis hoped to confront the challenges it faces as a major city, such as an aging population and ways of caring for the environment.
JOC President Tsunekazu Takeda said one of the most impressive points of Tokyo's bid was its plan to hold most of the Olympics within an 8-kilometer radius of the main stadium. Of the 31 venues, 21 are existing structures, four will require permanent refurbishing and 10 will be newly constructed. Five of the new buildings will be temporary.
''Ninety-five percent of the games will be in an 8-kilometer radius and access to most stadiums will be under 20 minutes. I can tell you the athletes will love it,'' said Takeda.
Spectators will be expected to use Tokyo's public transportation system, which some people think the world's finest.
The city, which anticipates a budget of about 5.5 billion yen provided by the Tokyo metropolitan government and the private sector, said 80,000 rooms will be available for accommodation within a 10-km radius of the central stadium and 120,000 within a 50-km radius.
Mihoko Nakagawa, director of international communications for Tokyo 2016, said she will be observing operations at the Beijing Games on her visit to get a better idea for future plans.
''We will be joining the participating observer program. We are going to be looking at the Athletes Village here and stadiums, and we want to make sure that we can offer an environment the athletes can feel comfortable with,'' said Nakagawa.
The IOC gave Tokyo the highest assessment, made according to 11 technical criteria such as government commitment, infrastructure, environmental impact and transport. Tokyo was followed by Madrid and Chicago.
Japan has held only one Summer Games but has hosted two Winter Olympics -- in Sapporo in 1972 and Nagano in 1998.
Kono said he could not comment on Tokyo's chances against the other candidate cities.
The host city of the 2016 Olympics will be named by the IOC at its general meeting in Copenhagen on Oct. 2, 2009.
Tokyo, which hosted the 1964 Summer Olympics, is attempting to stage the world's largest sporting spectacle in Asia for the second time in eight years following the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The Japanese capital cleared the first hurdle in the selection process in June, earning the highest score among the four surviving candidate cities that also include Chicago, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro.
''In eight years the IOC will have one Olympic Games in North America (2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics) and two Olympic Games in Europe (2012 London Games and 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics), so why not Japan?'' said Ichiro Kono, chairman of Tokyo 2016, at a press conference held just four days ahead of the opening of the Beijing Games.
Kono, who has been in charge of the Japanese Olympic Committee's Gold Plan for the long-term development of athletes since 2001, said Tokyo's bid had more to do with the support of the Japanese people than with its medals performance in Beijing.
''It isn't really about the medals count here but the impression of the Japanese people. That is the biggest factor for us,'' said Kono. ''Based on independent surveys already over 70 percent of Japanese support the 2016 bid. That's about 100 million people supporting us.'' In line with the theme of ''Uniting Our Worlds'' the logo concept for the Tokyo 2016 Olympic bid takes the form of a traditional Japanese knot, known as ''MUSUBI.''In hosting the 2016 Olympics, Kono said Japan's largest metropolis hoped to confront the challenges it faces as a major city, such as an aging population and ways of caring for the environment.
JOC President Tsunekazu Takeda said one of the most impressive points of Tokyo's bid was its plan to hold most of the Olympics within an 8-kilometer radius of the main stadium. Of the 31 venues, 21 are existing structures, four will require permanent refurbishing and 10 will be newly constructed. Five of the new buildings will be temporary.
''Ninety-five percent of the games will be in an 8-kilometer radius and access to most stadiums will be under 20 minutes. I can tell you the athletes will love it,'' said Takeda.
Spectators will be expected to use Tokyo's public transportation system, which some people think the world's finest.
The city, which anticipates a budget of about 5.5 billion yen provided by the Tokyo metropolitan government and the private sector, said 80,000 rooms will be available for accommodation within a 10-km radius of the central stadium and 120,000 within a 50-km radius.
Mihoko Nakagawa, director of international communications for Tokyo 2016, said she will be observing operations at the Beijing Games on her visit to get a better idea for future plans.
''We will be joining the participating observer program. We are going to be looking at the Athletes Village here and stadiums, and we want to make sure that we can offer an environment the athletes can feel comfortable with,'' said Nakagawa.
The IOC gave Tokyo the highest assessment, made according to 11 technical criteria such as government commitment, infrastructure, environmental impact and transport. Tokyo was followed by Madrid and Chicago.
Japan has held only one Summer Games but has hosted two Winter Olympics -- in Sapporo in 1972 and Nagano in 1998.
Kono said he could not comment on Tokyo's chances against the other candidate cities.
The host city of the 2016 Olympics will be named by the IOC at its general meeting in Copenhagen on Oct. 2, 2009.
