The Japanese capital sees off stiff competition from Madrid and Istanbul at the International Olympic Committee vote.
BUENOS AIRES – The International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in 2020 to Tokyo, which was chosen over fellow Candidate Cities Istanbul and Madrid after two rounds of voting during the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires.
Tokyo received 60 votes to Istanbul’s 36 in the final round, with Madrid having been eliminated in the first round after losing a tie-breaker with Istanbul. Tokyo, which also bid for the 2016 Olympic Games, previously hosted the Games in 1964.
“Congratulations to the city of Tokyo on its election as host of the 2020 Olympic Games,” said IOC President Jacques Rogge, whose 12-year term in office comes to an end on 10 September. “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.”
RESULTS:
Round 1
Tokyo: 42
Istanbul: 26
Madrid: 26
Round 1 tie-breaker
Istanbul: 49
Madrid: 45
Round 2
Tokyo: 60
Istanbul: 36
The city already has $4.5bn in an Olympic reserve fund. Hosting the 2020 Games could produce positive economic effects of more than $40bn and create more than 150,000 jobs, according to Japanese experts. The city could welcome over eight million of visitors during the event.
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