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Tokyo nearing a decision on 2020 bid

(Agencies)
Updated: 2011-06-17 17:43

TOKYO - Japanese Olympic officials expect to know within weeks if Tokyo will bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics.

"We expect a decision in late June or early July," said Japan Olympic Committee president Tsunekazu Takeda. "Tokyo had a great plan for 2016, and has excellent financing."

Related readings:  Hiroshima formally pulls plug on 2020 bid  Disaster driving Tokyo's 2020 bid plans

Takeda said a bid by Tokyo for the 2020 Summer Olympics could go a long way in helping Japan rebuild from the devastating earthquake and tsunami in March.

He said he would support a bid but insisted the decision about entering another Olympic contest ultimately wrests with the Tokyo metropolitan government. Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara has said he hopes his city will bid again after losing out to Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympics.

"It's best to keep the torch burning," Ishihara has been quoted as saying.

Tokyo metropolitan government bureaucrats, however, said Ishihara was expressing a personal view, and that a decision for another bid would require approval by the city assembly.

Ishihara came under fire after Tokyo spent an estimated $176 million bidding for 2016. He also drew criticism from Rio and elsewhere after comments in the Japanese media blaming Tokyo's loss on internal dealmaking and "invisible dynamics."

With Japan facing massive rebuilding costs from the damage caused by the deadly earthquake and tsunami, Ishihara is bound to face some resistance for another Olympic bid.

The March 11 magnitude-9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami, which wiped out large swaths of Japan's northeastern coastline, are believed to have caused an estimated $300 billion in damage and left more than 23,000 people dead or missing.

An IOC vote on July 6 on the host city for the 2018 Winter Games could also influence the Tokyo government's decision. South Korean city Pyeongchang is the leading candidate for 2018 and if it wins, Japan may choose not to go ahead with a 2020 bid for fear the IOC would be reluctant to vote for another Asian city again so soon.

National Olympic committees have until September 1 to submit bids for the 2020 Games. So far, only Rome has formally announced it will bid.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki - the two Japanese cities hit by atomic bombs in World War II - had expressed interest in a joint Olympic bid, but Hiroshima pulled out recently saying it still had outstanding debts from hosting the 1994 Asian Games.

Several major international sporting events in Japan were canceled because of a nuclear crisis triggered by the earthquake and tsunami, but Takeda says he doesn't expect that to influence a potential Olympic bid.

"Things are returning to normal," Takeda said. "We are very happy that the gymnastics world championships and volleyball world cup events will be staged in Japan as scheduled."

The figure skating world championships originally were scheduled to be held on March 21-27 in Tokyo. But Japanese officials decided there was no way the country could serve as host so soon after the disaster, and the event was moved to Moscow.

The International Gymnastics Federation decided last month there was no reason to move its world championships, which will be held in Tokyo from October 7-16.