Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara said Wednesday he was confident that Tokyo would win the bid for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. He said, “I am confident in the race to host the Olympics. Of the four candidate cities, Tokyo is the most appropriate place for it”.
Ishihara reportedly shrugged off the recent threat posed by North Korea’s launch of what it claimed was a satellite rocket, saying “I think there was too much fuss raised on this issue”.
As for financial problems, Tokyo has the central government’s guarantee to finance a Tokyo 2016 games, but Ishihara said Tokyo currently sees no need to make use of it, adding, “we believe that IOC will make rational, overall judgment”, reports the Monsters and Critics website.
The Governor said Japan’s sustained period of peace makes it the most appropriate candidate to host the 2016 Olympics.
He said, “Japan hasn’t been in any kind of war or conflict since the end of World War II. That’s why Tokyo is the most appropriate city to stage the Olympics”.
The IOC Evaluation Commission will be in Tokyo April 14 to 20th and will spend four working days – April 16-19 – assessing the city’s bid.
Dr. Ichiro Kono, Chair and CEO of Tokyo 2016 said, “we are hard at work with final preparations for the visit of the IOC Evaluation Commission. You can feel the passion building in the heart of Tokyo and across the nation – in taxis, hotels, shops and schools – our people want to play their part, just as they will in 2016 if we are awarded the honour of hosting the world’s greatest sports event. Tokyo guarantees a 24/7 atmosphere that will unite the hearts of international visitors and Japanese for generations to come”.
