Tokyo 2020 Bid News

[gotosy]

IOC's Craig Reedie: "excellent plan" key for evaluation commission

By Richard Sunley
LONDON, Feb. 27, Kyodo

Craig Reedie, chair of the International Olympic Committee's Evaluation Commission for the 2020 Olympic candidatures, has said that the ability to convince the commission that "your plans are excellent" is the key to a strong technical report.

The evaluation commission will examine Tokyo from March 4-7 in which time they will assess the city in order to compile a detailed technical report of Tokyo's plans to host the Olympic and Paralympic games.

The commission will aim for the report to be published before the IOC's technical briefing on July 3-4 when each city will present their plans to the members of the IOC. The report will also be used as a reference for IOC members when they make their final decision on the 2020 Olympic host city on Sep. 7.

In an interview with Kyodo News, Reedie, a former chairman of the British Olympic Association, outlined the processes involved in the evaluation commission's impending visit to Tokyo.

"The evaluation commission deals with the answers to the questions raised by the IOC and dealt with in the candidature files under each of the 14 headings," said Reedie.

"The morning is a presentation by the bid committee and questions by the commission and in the afternoon we visit the sports facilities in the main."

Each member of the evaluation commission is appointed to focus on a couple of elements of the bid with topics ranging from political structures and security to accommodation and plans for the Paralympics. Reedie himself will be quizzing Tokyo on the key issue of their vision for the Olympics, an element previously perceived as a weakness of the Tokyo bid.

Reedie, who is also one of four IOC vice presidents, was also keen to stress that the commission was a "technical examination of the capacity of a city" to stage the games rather than an "entertaining contest."

He played down the importance of the presence of heads of state during the candidate city's presentation saying, "This is a technical evaluation. We do not request anything like that at all."

Reedie did concede, however, that each candidate city will be allowed to entertain the commission once during the visit and that this event may be where the commission "might meet a PM or head of state."

There were also positive words for Tokyo's supposedly problematic level of public support, which has thus far lagged behind their rival 2020 bidding cities, Madrid and Istanbul.

Reedie, who assisted the London Olympics with their bid, cited the example of London's public support saying, "We (the London bid) started at about 66 percent in 2003 and 2004 and quite honestly, in my democracy, 66 percent is a fantastic figure."

"The IOC will wish to give the games to a city that wants them.

Demonstrations of want are different in different parts of the world."

He did however warn off complacency, adding, "But every candidate city I have ever known has always had a strong majority figure in favor of hosting the games. Depending on your political structure some seem higher than others."

The neutrality of the commission was also emphasized with Reedie stressing that the candidate cities are not ranked in any way by the commission and described the report as similar to a risk assessment.

He believed the commission system was "pretty well developed" and "very comprehensive" and added that the IOC's entire selection process for the Olympic host city is "the best process for any major sports selection in the world."

Reedie also felt that the arrival of the evaluation commission in a bidding city was an "important part of the promotion of the Olympic movement and the Olympic ethos" which would also be a moment of much excitement for Tokyo and the other Olympic candidate cities.

The four days of the evaluation commission's visit to Tokyo are expected to be very busy with bidding cities sometimes required to work through the night to answer the queries of the commission members.

Tokyo will be the commission's first stop before it heads to Madrid on March 18 and Istanbul on March 24.

Kyodo

[world atlas]

IOC evaluation commission arrives in Tokyo to inspect plans to host 2020 Olympics

By Associated Press, Updated: Friday, March 1, 10:45 AM

TOKYO — The International Olympic Committee’s evaluation commission arrived in Tokyo on Friday a few days before a four-day inspection of the city’s plans to host the 2020 Olympics.

IOC vice president Craig Reedie will lead the March 4-7 inspection.

Later this month, the evaluation commission will visit Madrid and Istanbul, the other cities bidding to host the games. The IOC will select the host city by secret ballot at is session in Buenos Aires on Sept. 7.

Tokyo, which hosted the 1964 Olympics, is bidding for a second straight time after finishing third in the IOC vote for the 2016 Games, which went to Rio de Janeiro.

“For the next week, we will go all out to demonstrate our winning formula for hosting the games in 2020,” Tokyo 2020 President Tsunekazu Takeda said.

Tokyo organizers want to highlight the city’s safety and advanced infrastructure, while emphasizing that 28 out of the 33 planned competition venues will be within a five-mile radius of the Olympic Village, meaning less travel time for athletes.

Two major differences from Tokyo’s failed bid to host the 2016 Games are a larger Olympic Village with more space for athletes to train and a more centralized main stadium.

The previous bid also was hurt by a demonstration against hosting the Olympics during the evaluation commission’s visit, and organizers are hoping there will be no repeat this time.

Public support is much higher this time around thanks in part to Japan’s strong showing at the London Olympics. The latest poll showed that 73 percent of those polled support the bid.

Still, some feel the money could be put to better use rebuilding in the aftermath of the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami that devastated the country’s northeastern coast.

Tokyo has been rated highly by the IOC for its technical bid, but faces the appeal of Istanbul and taking the game to a new city that straddles Europe and Asia.

While London spent nearly $16 billion in public funds on building venues for the Olympics, Tokyo has a $4.5 billion “reserve fund” for infrastructure projects for the games. That compares with $19.2 billion for Istanbul and $1.9 billion for Madrid.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/ioc-evaluation-commission-arrives-in-tokyo-to-inspect-plans-to-host-2020-olympics/2013/03/01/7f7f2fb4-823e-11e2-a671-0307392de8de_story.html

[gotosy]

IOC evaluation commission arrives in Tokyo to inspect plans to host 2020 Olympics

[gotosy]

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says his government will offer all-out support for Tokyo's bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games.

Abe spoke on Friday at an inaugural meeting of his cabinet ministers to support the city's bid.

The prime minister noted that the Tokyo Olympics in 1964 symbolized Japan's post-war reconstruction.

He said if the city is chosen to host the 2020 Olympics, the games would go down in history as a symbol of Japan's recovery from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Abe said the government will work hard to elevate the bidding campaign to a national movement, involving athletes, business leaders and many others.

Earlier on Friday, the head of the International Olympic Committee's Evaluation Commission arrived in Tokyo to assess the city's bid.

Craig Reedie will visit the planned sites for stadiums and the athletes' village during 4 days of inspections from Monday.

Members of the Evaluation Commission will also visit Madrid and Istanbul to examine their bids.

The Commission's report, due out in July, will play an important role when IOC members choose the host city for the 2020 Games in September

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20130301_31.html

[Sir Rols]

83% want Tokyo to host 2020 Olympic Games

The Yomiuri Shimbun

An overwhelming 83 percent of respondents said they supported Tokyo's bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympics, up from 72 percent in January last year, a Yomiuri Shimbun survey revealed.

The approval rate in the February survey was the highest figure among five that have asked about the capital's bids to host the Games, including surveys on the failed bid for the 2016 event.

Tokyo's Olympic promotion campaigns appear to have significantly affected people's attitude toward hosting the Games.

The percentage of those who opposed Tokyo's hosting of the Olympics dropped from 22 percent in the last survey to 12 percent this time.

Also according to the survey, 73 percent of those who support hosting the Games said they expected a positive economic effect; 37 percent said it would help promote sports; and 36 percent said it would allow Japan to show the world the progress it has made in rebuilding from the Great East Japan Earthquake.

When asked about the World Baseball Classic, which began Saturday, 65 percent expressed an interest in the games--roughly the same level as in the previous survey before the 2009 classic.

On favorite sports to watch, professional baseball took the top spot for the 19th consecutive year with 46 percent. Respondents were allowed to pick multiple sports for this question.

The Yomiuri Giants topped the list of favorite baseball teams for the 22nd straight year with 29 percent, up seven percentage points from last year.

Meanwhile, 69 percent said corporal punishment by coaches or instructors does not help improve athletic performance.

When asked why such punishment happens, "coaches' temperaments" and "the nature of the sporting world" both received 46 percent of replies.

Forty-nine percent said corporal punishment is unacceptable under any circumstances, while 45 percent said it should be allowed in some situations.

The survey was conducted on Feb. 23 and Feb. 24 in face-to-face interviews with 3,000 eligible voters randomly selected at 250 locations nationwide. Of those, valid answers were obtained from 1,455, or 49 percent.

(Mar. 3, 2013)

Yomiuri Shimbun

[world atlas]

Japanese hope new television technology will boost Tokyo 2020 bid

Saturday, 02 March 2013

By Duncan Mackay at the Hotel Okura in Tokyo

March 2 - Japan plans to show that holding the Olympics and Paralympics here in 2020 would be the most technologically advanced in history by demonstrating new cutting-edge "8k" ultra high definition television to the team of inspectors who are here to assess their bid.

The country's Communications Ministry is planning to show the technology to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Evaluation Commission, headed by Britain's Sir Craig Reedie, who are due to officially begin their visit to the Japanese capital on Monday (March 4).

Broadcasts in 8K will offer a resolution of 7,680 by 4,320 pixels - roughly the equivalent of a 32 megapixel photo, which is believed to be at the limit of what the human eye can process.

That is 16 times as sharp as current high-definition television offering about 2MP resolutions.

Japanese broadcaster NHK - in partnership with the BBC - showed off the technology in London during the Olympics last year, where audiences claimed it gave them a sense of being at the events.

The picture was so precise, it was claimed, that one could view a shot inside the Olympic Stadium that appeared to be three dimensional and contained stunning detail.

The firm has developed three cameras that can capture the higher resolution - which it calls Super Hi-Vision - at 60 frames per second but aims to double that to 120 frames per second.

By contrast the BBC currently normally broadcasts high definition television programmes at 25 fps.

NHK has used a 145-inch (3.7 metre) prototype display co-developed with Olympic TOP sponsor Panasonic to show off its footage at London 2012.

A team from NNK carried out advance tests of the new technology at London 2012

The Japanese Government are supporting a number initiatives aimed at helping the nation's huge consumer electronics sector and plans the full introduction of 4K broadcasts in July 2014 to coincide with the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, which would put it two years ahead of the rest of the world.

They then hope to begin extensive testing 8K broadcasts in 2016 at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, four years ahead of schedule.

A team from NHK last month carried out a test of the technolgy at the Rio Carnival in partnership with Brazil's TV Globo.

http://www.insidethegames.biz/olympics/summer-olympics/2020/1013141-japanese-hope-new-television-technology-will-boost-tokyo-2020-bid

[gotosy]

Tokyo an inspirational choice for 2020 Games, Abe tells IOC

TOKYO — Tokyo would be an inspirational choice to host the 2020 Olympic Games, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told Olympic officials on Monday, with Japan keen to showcase its recovery from a devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Abe made sure that an inspection tour by an International Olympic Committee (IOC) team got off to a heavyweight start.

At stake are an estimated 3 trillion yen ($32 billion) in potential economic impact and the chance, Japanese officials say, to showcase Japan’s recovery from the 2011 disaster in the way the 1964 Tokyo Summer Games highlighted the nation’s return after its World War Two defeat.

“Tokyo 2020 will inspire many others, just as Tokyo did before in 1964,” Abe, who has been appointed as the bid’s supreme adviser, told the committee. The 1964 Games were the first Olympics to be held in Asia. “I ask you to bring the torch right here to Tokyo.”

Tokyo, which lost the bidding for 2016 to Rio de Janeiro, faces Istanbul and Madrid this time around.

The evaluation team, headed by IOC Vice President Craig Reedie, arrived in Japan on Friday to the cheers of flag-waving children. Their tour began formally on Monday with an explanation of the city’s bid and a visit to several sites, including the waterfront area set to become the Olympic Village.

In Tokyo’s favor are the fact that many of its venues are already built. Tokyo planners also emphasize the compactness of its offer, with 85% of the venues located within an 8 kilometers radius of the Olympic Village.

The jewel in Tokyo’s campaign is a space-age makeover of the National Stadium, the main venue for the 1964 Games. The 80,000-capacity venue, which resembles a flying saucer.

The Tokyo government estimates that the Games would increase demand by 1.22 trillion yen in tourism, sales of Olympic goods and household spending. With private sector investments included, the total impact is likely to hit 3 trillion yen nationwide and include the creation of 150,000 jobs.

In an attempt to ensure the economic spillover would also extend to areas struggling directly with the impact of the 2011 disaster, some soccer playoffs may be held in Miyagi Prefecture, one of the regions hit hardest by the tsunami.

Tokyo bid officials have acknowledged concerns about the potential for another earthquake but emphasize Japan’s strict building codes, noting that there was minimal damage in Tokyo from the 9.0 magnitude 2011 quake.

Tokyo lost its bid for the 2016 Games in part because of low public support, but that seems unlikely this time around.

According to a poll by the Yomiuri Shimbun daily released at the weekend, 83% of respondents said they supported the bid, up from 72% in January 2012. Those against the bid fell to 12% from 22%.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/sports/view/tokyo-an-inspirational-choice-for-2020-games-abe-tells-ioc

[gotosy]

Bid resolution adopted


The House of Representatives adopted a resolution Monday to fully support Tokyo's bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympic Games.

The lower house adopted the resolution by a majority vote at a plenary session, with only the Japanese Communist Party voting against it.

The House of Councillors is expected to adopt a similar resolution.

The lower house resolution calls for unified efforts by the Diet and the government to bring the Olympics to Tokyo, as hosting is an opportunity to showcase reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami and give hope to the Japanese people.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T130304004421.htm

[gotosy]

東京体育館 Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium

日本武道館 Budokan

https://www.facebook.com/tokyo2020.jp

[baron-pierreIV]

For a metropolis and repeat host city of 20 million, those crowds are puny. I don't think Tokyoites are all that jazzed about hosting again.

[Athensfan]

For a metropolis and repeat host city of 20 million, those crowds are puny. I don't think Tokyoites are all that jazzed about hosting again.

You have this amazing propensity to rewrite reality to support your personal desired outcome.

It looks to me that Tokyo's had a very successful visit so far.

[gotosy]

TOKYO２０２０国際招致PRフィルム「IS JAPAN COOL?」very special film "IS JAPAN COOL?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJU8n-0oYRs

[mattygs]

Tokyo is most definietely Iki

[baron-pierreIV]

You have this amazing propensity to rewrite reality to support your personal desired outcome.

Ya think?

Pot calling kettle...

[illustrado]

For a metropolis and repeat host city of 20 million, those crowds are puny. I don't think Tokyoites are all that jazzed about hosting again.

You have this amazing propensity to rewrite reality to support your personal desired outcome.

It looks to me that Tokyo's had a very successful visit so far.

i would have to agree with baron. it's a perfect bid but tokyo 2020 does not have the full support of it's citizens.

[mattygs]

To me, that

i would have to agree with baron. it's a perfect bid but tokyo 2020 does not have the full support of it's citizens.

To be honest, I think it would be unusual to find full support of the citizenry in a fully developed democratic country - it's just not something that usually happens.

I think it shows a fully functioning political system which will see the effective running of an Olympic Games with an active opposition movement for checks and balances.

I've been quite amazed at a huge increase in public support by the Japanese. No doubt caused by a number of different events - earthquake recovery, increased sense of national pride, fantastic event of London 2012, fantastic Japanese performance in London, better performance by bid officials etc etc.

[runningrings]

i would have to agree with baron. it's a perfect bid but tokyo 2020 does not have the full support of it's citizens.

There has never been an Olympic bid, ever, at any point in history, that has had "full support" of its citizens.

Conversely, Tokyo 2020 has made huge advances in addressing public support compared to their 2016 bid. I wish Istanbul seemed as energising.

[gotosy]

Wrestlers promote Tokyo's 2020 Olympic bid

TOKYO (AP) -- Two Japanese wrestling gold medalists helped promote Tokyo's bid for the 2020 Olympics on Wednesday even though the sport may be dropped from the games.

Saori Yoshida and Kaori Icho, both three-time Olympic wrestling champions, greeted the IOC evaluation commission on the third day of a four-day inspection of Tokyo's bid plans.

IOC vice president Craig Reedie is leading the visit, which will be followed by trips this month to Madrid and Istanbul, the other two cities vying to host the games. The IOC will select the host city by secret ballot at its session in Buenos Aires on Sept. 7.

Yoshida and Icho are hoping wrestling will remain in the Olympics after it was dropped from the program of the 2020 Games by the IOC executive board last month.

Wrestling will bid to remain on the Olympic program at an IOC meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia, in May. The IOC assembly will have the final say in Buenos Aires.

''I don't have a vote, but I would at least like to go to the presentation,'' said Yoshida, who won gold in Athens, Beijing and London. ''The only thing I can do is pray that wrestling stays in.''

The IOC commission was greeted by Yoshida and Icho at the Tokyo Big Sight, the sprawling complex next to Tokyo Bay that would play host to wrestling, fencing and taekwondo if Japan wins the bid.

The proposed elimination of wrestling came as a big surprise to the Japanese wrestling community.

Tomoaki Fukuda, president of the Japan wrestling federation, is already looking at how wrestling can regain its spot as one of the IOC's core Olympic sports.

''FILA wants to follow the standards set by the IOC for the May presentation,'' Fukuda said, referring to the sport's governing body. ''There are other sports that are on the block. We will discuss our options with experts and give a strong presentation.''

Fencer Yuki Ota, a silver medalist in London in the team foil event, spoke to the commission and reiterated the commitment of his fellow Japanese athletes to bring the Summer Games back to Japan for the first time since 1964.

''We stand united in the effort to bring the 2020 Games to Tokyo,'' Ota said.

AP

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/wrestlers-promote-tokyos-2020-olympic-103436514--oly.html

[baron-pierreIV]

COuld the Tokyo team have rigged "support" results, i.e., purposely UNDER-counting the support in earlier polls, knowing that they would come out ahead later, but the effect would be a "wondrous awakening" of the citizenry? Pretty sneaky trick, if u ask me...just like their bombing of Pearl Harbor.

[Athensfan]

70% is a laudable figure. And as Rob pointed out ages ago, as long as a city has at least 60% public support, it can be competitive. He said there is no discernible advantage to having 90% public support versus 60% public support where the IOC's voting pattern is concerned.

I also think it is significant that the figure has risen so noticeably. Japan's strong performance in London is one reason for this, but the bid committee also successfully capitalized on that success and communicated their message to the populace. All this inspires confidence in Tokyo's ability to stage outstanding Games.

[runningrings]

COuld the Tokyo team have rigged "support" results, i.e., purposely UNDER-counting the support in earlier polls, knowing that they would come out ahead later, but the effect would be a "wondrous awakening" of the citizenry? Pretty sneaky trick, if u ask me...just like their bombing of Pearl Harbor.

What place does trolling xenophobia have in a forum dedicated to the Olympic Games?

As for the poll increases, there are many clever ways to play with data - just ask any social or market researcher anywhere in the world. Tokyo bid team are probably blowing out hot air, but it is all part of the Game. It's a marketing campaign, after all.

[Athensfan]

As for the poll increases, there are many clever ways to play with data - just ask any social or market researcher anywhere in the world. Tokyo bid team are probably blowing out hot air, but it is all part of the Game. It's a marketing campaign, after all.

Except that the IOC conducted the poll. They're not relying on data from the Tokyo bid team.

[Sir Rols]

Except that the IOC conducted the poll. They're not relying on data from the Tokyo bid team.

Exactly, and it's the one the IOC pays attention too. It'll be interesting to see what the IOC polling says for Istanbul and Madrid, and how they match up with those cities' polls so far.

[baron-pierreIV]

What place does trolling xenophobia have in a forum dedicated to the Olympic Games?

As for the poll increases, there are many clever ways to play with data - just ask any social or market researcher anywhere in the world. Tokyo bid team are probably blowing out hot air, but it is all part of the Game. It's a marketing campaign, after all.

WHAT are u talking about? U absolutely make NO sense whatsoever.

[gotosy]

IOC 'hugely impressed' by quality of Tokyo games bid

IOC officials said on Thursday that they were "hugely impressed" by Tokyo's bid to host the 2020 Olympic games as well as strong government support from a country keen to show it has recovered from the devastating 2011 quake and tsunami.

At stake are an estimated three trillion yen (£21.3 billion) in

potential economic impact and the chance, Japanese officials say, to

showcase the country's recovery from the disaster in the way the 1964

Tokyo Summer Games highlighted the nation's return after its World War

Two defeat.

"We have been hugely impressed by the quality of the bid

presentations made by the bid committee," said Craig Reedie, vice

president of the International Olympics Committee.

"Across the board, they have just been excellent," he told a news conference.

Reedie declined to give details, but did single out strong

support both from the government and from the business community. Among

those making presentations during the evaluation committee's four day

visit were Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Fujio Cho, the outgoing

chairman of Toyota Motor Corp.

But Japanese media noted that Tokyo had received early praise

during its failed bid to host the 2016 games, which it lost to Rio de

Janeiro, and Tokyo governor Naoki Inose warned against any complacency.

"This is about at the halfway point of a marathon," he told a

news conference. "The most crucial time is now. We must keep running

this marathon for the next six months."

Tokyo is up against Madrid and Istanbul, both of which have

also bid for the Games and lost before. A decision will be made on

September 7 in Buenos Aires.

In Tokyo's favour are the fact that many of its venues are

already built. Tokyo planners also emphasize the compactness of its

offer, with 85 per cent of the venues located within an 8 km radius of

the Olympic Village.

The jewel in Tokyo's campaign is a space-age makeover of the

National Stadium, the main venue for the 1964 Games. The 80,000-capacity

venue, which resembles a flying saucer.

The Tokyo government estimates that the Games would increase

demand by 1.22 trillion yen in tourism, sales of Olympic goods and

household spending. With private sector investments included, the total

impact is likely to hit 3 trillion yen nationwide and include the

creation of 150,000 jobs.

The government has gone to considerable effort to emphasise the

sentimental possibilities of a Tokyo games, including holding some of

the football play-offs in Miyagi, part of the country badly devastated

by the 2011 disaster.

"Tokyo 2020 will inspire many others, just as Tokyo did before

in 1964," Abe, who has been appointed as the bid's supreme adviser, told

the committee at the start of their visit on Monday. The 1964 Games

were the first Olympics in Asia.

Tokyo bid officials have acknowledged concerns about the

potential for another earthquake but emphasize Japan's strict building

codes, noting that there was minimal damage in Tokyo from the 9.0

magnitude 2011 quake.

In a nod to Japan's trademark high-tech, officials on Thursday

unveiled a mobile drug testing laboratory that will aid monitoring for

sports whose locations are not easily accessible.

The mobile lab includes a toilet and a lab to test urine

samples, and has been accredited to analyse the samples right there in

the van.

Though Tokyo lost its previous bid in part due to low public

support, an IOC survey published this week found that some 70 per cent

of respondents want Japan to host the games.

http://asia.eurosport.com/olympic-games/ioc-hugely-impressed-by-quality-of-tokyo-games-bid_sto3654629/story.shtml