- Title: JAPAN: OLYMPICS: Tokyo counts down to the Olympic 2016 city vote.
- Date: 3rd October 2009
- Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (OCTOBER 2, 2009) (REUTERS) TOWER TOWER EXTERIOR LIGHTS ON SECOND LEVEL OBSERVATION DECK READING "2016" ENTRANCE AND TOURIST WALKING INTO THE TOWER OLYMPIC COUNTDOWN CLOCK CLOCK SHOWING ZERO DAYS TO OLYMPIC BID (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) HIROMI MIZUGUCHI, 60 YEAR OLD, RESTAURANTEUR SAYING: "I believe Tokyo is second after Chicago but if their last appeal goes well, we may make it," (SOUNDBITE) (English) SHINICHI TAGAWA, 21 YEAR OLD UNIVERSITY STUDENT SAYING: "I would like to see the next Olympic personally here so I am looking forward to Tokyo winning" CONSTRUCTION AT THE VENUE SITE WHERE THE TOKYO SUPPORTERS WILL GATHER TO WATCHING THE BID LIVE
- Embargoed: 18th October 2009 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Japan
- Country: Japan
- Topics: Sports
- Reuters ID: LVACOSJEOPAIQXJPDNRYT8Q3J5HR
- Story Text: Tokyo residents count down to the 2016 Olympic city vote in Copenhagen.
Tokyo residents are holding their breath as the count down has begun ahead of the vote to decide on the city to host the 2016 Summer Olympics on Friday (October 2).
Tokyo, which hosted Asia's first Olympics in 1964, faces competition from Chicago, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro in the race to host the 2016 Summer Games.
While Rio and Chicago are expected to be favorites, Tokyo has flown in to Copenhagen some hard hitters - such as Japan's newly elected prime minister Yukio Hatoyama.
Furthermore Tokyo's waterfront bid has scored highly in the IOC's evaluations for its technical merits and the fact 95 percent of the venues will be within a radius of eight kilometres.
Tokyo OIympic Bid Committee members also say Tokyo is best-placed to survive the global financial crisis and stage a debt-free Olympics.
However Tokyo's bid has been criticised for its lack of public support - something not visible here at Tokyo Tower where hundreds of supporters are later expected to gather in the early hours of Saturday (October 3) to watch the live vote from Copenhagen.
"I believe Tokyo is second after Chicago but if their last appeal goes well, we may make it," said Hiromi Mizuguchi, a 60-year-old restaurant.
"I would like to see the next Olympic personally here so I am looking forward to Tokyo winning," said 21-year-old university Shinichi Tagawa.
The vote is expected to be decided around 1630 GMT on October 2nd at the IOC meeting in Denmark - 0130 am local time in Tokyo. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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