Olympics: IOC ‘hugely impressed’ by Tokyo bid

Tokyo’s bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics enjoys ‘strong’ government, business and public support, says IOC.

TOKYO: Tokyo’s bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics enjoys ‘strong’ government, business and public support, said International Olympic Committee (IOC) Vice President Craig Reedie at the end of a four-day inspection tour.

“We have been hugely impressed by the quality of bid presentations by the bid committee. Across the board, it has been excellent in every way,” the former head of the British Olympic Association told a news conference.

Reedie was heading a 14-member team from the International Olympic Committee evaluation commission tasked with scrutinising bids by Tokyo, Madrid and Istanbul for the multi-billion dollar sporting extravaganza.

“We have witnessed the strong government support which the bid enjoys,” he said. “We also benefited from contributions from a wide range of the Japanese business community. We’ve witnessed strong national support. If Tokyo gets the 2020 Olympics, I believe businesses will become sponsors and support them.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 8^th, 2013.