Olympics: JOC announces Tokyo's second straight Olympic bid for 2020

TOKYO, July 16 Kyodo - The Japanese Olympic Committee announced Saturday that Tokyo will bid for another Olympics, hoping to bring the Summer Games back to Japan in 2020 after a 56-year absence.
''I'd like to take this opportunity to officially announce that we will bid to host the 2020 Olympics,'' JOC President Tsunekazu Takeda said during a reception to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the JOC.
''Yesterday, we received a formal letter of intent from Gov. (Shintaro) Ishihara which was officially accepted at our board meeting earlier today.''
The announcement was met with rousing applause from the crowd, which included International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge.
''Thank you for this wonderful day,'' Rogge said. ''Today, we had excellent news about the plans for the candidature of the 2020 Games. The IOC is extremely happy to receive this candidature, and wishes Tokyo good luck.''
Said Takeda, ''I think it meant a lot to announce it in his presence. We were able to convey our desire and determination to host the Olympics again.''
Tokyo campaigned for the 2016 Olympics with a 15 billion yen budget but with little public support -- slightly more than 50 percent, it was said at the time -- losing in the second round of voting won by Rio de Janeiro.
Takeda hopes to drive up the approval rating to at least 70 percent by 2013, when the winner will be announced. He also said Tokyo will try to sell another ''compact'' Games like it did for 2016.
''I would like to see us top 70 percent,'' Takeda said. ''How we do that will come down to the amount of time and effort we put in.
''Obviously we do not have an organizing committee yet but for us to win, I think we need to keep selling a compact Olympics in Tokyo. The three Tohoku prefectures damaged by the quake have been receptive to hosting some of the soccer, and we have been in regular contact with the Japan Football Association.''
Rome and Madrid, which also ran for 2016, had already thrown their hat into the ring with Istanbul said to be interested in running.
The Middle Eastern oases of Dubai and Doha, the capital of Qatar which won the 2022 World Cup bidding last year, are also believed to be eyeing a bid.
Tokyo's announcement had been expected, but appeared to lose steam after Pyeongchang won the hosting rights to the 2018 Winter Games last week.
Some speculated that the victory of the South Korean city would hurt Tokyo's chances given their geographical proximity and the timing of the two Games.
Yet Rogge made it clear earlier this week that the IOC does not rotate the Games from continent to continent, and would welcome a second straight bid from Tokyo.
Takeda said while comparing the planning of a Summer and Winter Olympics was impossible, Tokyo can learn a lot from Pyeongchang's triumph.
''Their public approval rating was incredibly high,'' said Takeda. ''You can tell and feel the Koreans really wanted to host the Olympics.''
The 1964 Tokyo Olympics was a sign of recovery for Japan from World War II. Takeda hoped the 2020 Games will hold a similar place for eastern Japan which was badly hit by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
''The last time we hosted the Olympics, we were able to show the world how much we had recovered from disaster,'' Takeda said. ''We want to make this event a similar symbol of recovery from the major disasters we have suffered.
''We will devote ourselves to the cause of bringing the Olympics back to Tokyo.''
Said Ishihara, ''Tokyo's job is to offer financial support and build the necessary facilities. The JOC must step up. They're the strikers if you liken it to soccer.''