- Title: JAPAN: OLYMPICS - Tokyo bid for 2016
- Date: 2nd October 2009
- Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (FILE) (REUTERS) DENSELY PACKED BUILDINGS WITH TRAIN RUNNING IN FRONT PEDESTRIANS FEET AS THEY WALK PEOPLE CROSSING AT SHIBUYA INTERSECTION TEMPLE ENTRANCE GATE PAPER LANTERNS WITH SHOPPERS BELOW (GOOD GENERAL VIEWS OF TOKYO) YOYOGI NATIONAL GYMNASIUM TOKYO 2016 CANDIDATE CITY BANNER
- Embargoed: 17th October 2009 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Japan
- Country: Japan
- Topics: Sports
- Reuters ID: LVAAGRIBLB15GB3WYNPN2O1OG868
- Story Text: With the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) October 2nd decision approaching, Tokyo's bid committee has said that the public is finally behind the effort with new polls showing over 80 percent support.
In the IOC's preliminary report, Tokyo was rated highly in technical and financial terms but in terms of public support was seen as lacking compared to the other candidate cities.
Japan has made staggering progress since its capital last hosted the Olympic Games in 1964 when the government unveiled the "Bullet Train" to mark its emergence as an economic power.
With the financial crisis and Japan facing record unemployment, some see the Games as a way to energize the nation again.
The bustling metropolis of 13 million has become a showcase for technological breakthrough, cutting-edge architecture and the world's finest cuisine.
The world's second largest economy, Japan retains a great deal of its traditional charm, shrines and quaint old shops often to be found tucked beside gleaming new skyscrapers.
Many of the iconic structures built for the 1964 Olympics, such as the elliptical national gymnasium, are still in use and as stunning in appearance as they were 45 years ago.
Modern Tokyo, with its "Blade Runner"-style crackling neon lights and crowded trains and shops, has turned convenience into an art with its automated wizardry.
However, Tokyo's credentials as a tourist destination will come under the spotlight should the city beat Chicago, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro in the race to host the 2016 Games.
Visitors should expect the unexpected -- earthquakes and typhoons included. Tokyo's waterside Olympic stadium would be built on giant shock-absorbers to withstand major tremors.
Tokyo's bid comes on the heels of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, which has lead some to question Tokyo's chances of hosting another games in Asia.
Tokyo hopes for a carbon-free Olympics, promoting Tokyo's public transit system and a plan that would place 95 percent of Olympic Venues within 8km of each other.
The Tokyo 2016 bid committee told a final news conference before leaving for Copenhagen that Tokyo is the best-placed to survive the global financial crisis and to hold a debt-free Olympics. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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