IOC hails Tokyo's bid to host 2020 Olympic Games

PanARMENIAN.Net - International Olympics officials said on Thursday, March 7 that they were "hugely impressed" by Tokyo's bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games as well as strong government support from a country keen to show it has recovered from the devastating 2011 quake and tsunami, Reuters reported.

At stake are an estimated three trillion yen (21 billion pounds) in potential economic impact and the chance, Japanese officials say, to showcase the country's recovery from the disaster in the way the 1964 Tokyo Summer Games highlighted the nation's return after its World War Two defeat.

"We have been hugely impressed by the quality of the bid presentations made by the bid committee," said Craig Reedie, vice president of the International Olympics Committee (IOC).

"Across the board, they have just been excellent," he told a news conference.

Reedie declined to give details, but did single out strong support both from the government and from the business community. Among those making presentations during the evaluation committee's four day visit were Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Fujio Cho, the outgoing chairman of Toyota Motor Corp.

Tokyo is up against Madrid and Istanbul, both of which have also bid for the Games and lost before. A decision will be made on September 7 in Buenos Aires.