Olympics: Tokyo to bid for 2020

TOKYO: Tokyo formally announced their bid to host the 2020 Olympics as a symbol of Japan’s determination to recover from the devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami. The announcement was made at a reception marking the 100th anniversary of the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) and in the presence of International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge and other world sports leaders. JOC President Tsunekazu Takeda said that his executive committee had approved Tokyo’s bid at a special meeting earlier in the day after the capital failed to capture the 2016 Games.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 17^th, 2011.