Tokyo made the second presentation to IOC members, at 10:30 AM local time in Copenhagen. Following is a summary.
A fifteen year-old girl, gymnast, speaking in English, took the stage first.
“I’m not a head of state”, she says.
She described, with images, climate change, discrimination, doping and challenges in the world of sport.
Japanese International Olympic Committee member Chiharu Igaya intoduces new Prime Minister ofJapan and others on the panel.
Newly-elected Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama took the stage.
“We really can make the world a better place, such is the magic of the Olympic Games.” he said.
He described great efforts by the bid to impact world environmental concerns.
A video was shown describing Japan’s efforts in the Olympic movement over the past 100 years, including the 1964 Tokyo Games.
Shintaro Ishihara, Governor of Tokyo, spoke about development in his region and cooperation with the Olympics.
A video showing typical people becoming involved in sport on a journey toward the Olympics and Paralympics
Ichiro Kono, Chairman and CEO of Tokyo 2016 took the podium.
“When Japanese people make a promise, we deliver.”
“You’ve asked us to show more emotion.”
“But we are full are spirit! We will deliver everything we say.”
In French, the Kono spoke about public opinion in Tokyo – he said the evaluation visit was showed on major TV networks and since the IOC poll, public support has gone beyond 80%.
Japanese athletes, speaking in french and english, described the venue plans for the bid complete with visuals.
Yuko Arakido promised to teach athletes and visitors to the Tokyo Games karaoke.
Paralympian Junichi Kawai further described venues and commented on their accessibility – he described his dreams for the Games with great emotion.
Koji Murofushi, Tokyo 2016 Executive Board member presented more venue information.
Mikako Kotani, Tokyo 2016 Athletes Commission, described the goal of “setting the stage for athletes”.
She presented a video showing the Games being staged in the center of “the largest city in the world”. It described technology, the environment and visitor experience.
Tokyo 2016 Vice President Tsunekazu Takeda took the podium described the Games support for athletes and NOC’s. He offered the IOC his committment to work under their leadership.
“Please give us the opportunity to host these Games – I ask this from my heart.” Takeda said.
Kono took the stage again to discuss goals for anti-doping and peace in sport. He described uniting the youth of the world through the Olympics.
A video was presented showing young people around the world participating in sports.
Shun-ichiro Okano, Executive Board mamber made a short statement asking for support from the IOC along with Kono.
The floor was opened for questions.
Kono addressed a question about public support, reiterating that the rate has risen to over 80%
Kono also answered a question from Prince Albert of Monaco regarding the size of the land for the Olympic Village. He said he believed that it exceeded the requirements of the IOC.
The meeting was adjourned.
BY LISA DONOVAN Staff Reporter
Today’s the day Chicago learns whether it takes home Olympic gold … or sits as an also-ran in the race to host the 2016 Summer Games.
Uniforms pressed? Check. Oprah in town? Check. President Obama? Check.
It will all come to a head at 11:57 a.m., Chicago time, when the city that has won the right to host the 2016 Olympics will be announced in a dramatic ceremony.
Mayor Daley’s Olympic bid team — and competitors from Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo — spent the day before the final vote furiously lobbying the International Olympic Committee members on the eve of their vote for the 2016 Games.
The star power remained high — even before President Obama got on a plane Thursday night en route to Copenhagen.
Want a picture with Oprah? She was holding court in a restaurant. Interested in talking to a Dream Teamer or a Perfect 10? David Robinson and Nadia Comaneci roamed the halls of their Copenhagen hotel. How about a meeting with the first lady? She was listening.
Michelle Obama has been on a marathon campaign to lobby as many of the 100-plus members of the IOC as possible. Thursday, she took a break from her hotel suite meetings with IOC members to attend the opening ceremony at Copenhagen’s dazzling opera house. Wearing a sleeveless, apricot-colored dress, she greeted a steady stream of members and other VIPs.
She also took time to have lunch with the queen of Denmark.
Since her arrival Wednesday, Mrs. Obama has been meeting with the IOC voters — perhaps dozens — in a suite at the Marriott, the official IOC hotel, where she can sit and talk.
Although Chicago is rated as a slight favourite to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, the BBC reports many commentators are describing the outcome as too close to call.
British International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Sir Craig Reedie said, “this is a very, very close race between four outstanding bids. Because the bids are so good, and because it is close, the last few hours are going to be even more exciting than usual”.
The city receiving the fewest votes will be eliminated round-by-round until one candidate has a majority.
IOC President Jacques Rogge told the BBC, “I believe it’s going to be very close – this is a trend we have seen in the last five to six years.
He added, “security – not only physical but also in terms of the organization – it is very important. We need a very good Olympic Village, state-of-the art venues, a good transportation system. If beyond that we can have a very good home team and a very warm public, the game is almost over”.
British bookmakers say that Chicago was pulling away in the last hours as the clear but not overwhelming favourite over Rio, with Madrid and Tokyo lagging, reports Fox. But Graham Sharpe, spokesman for betting agency William Hill said, “…don’t forget that Paris was the favourite to beat London the last time. The favourite doesn’t always win”.
The bookmakers of Ireland-based Paddy Power say there’s a clear favourite in the betting on the 2016 host city. Paddy Power has collected about 700 bets on who may be the 2016 host city, reports WBBM.
Sharon McHugh, spokeswoman for Paddy Power, says Chicago’s odds are 8-15, while Rio is in second place at 15-8. But McHugh agrees anything can happen. She said, “this time four years ago we thought Paris had it in the bag, so we could get a shock”.
McHugh says it’s President Obama’s plans to go to Copenhagen that have pushed the odds so heavily in Chicago’s favour.
On October 2, 2009 the IOC membership at the 121st Session in Copenhagen will vote for the Host City of the 2016 Olympic Games.
Copenhagen was chosen as host city for this vote on February 8, 2006. They won a 59-40 IOC vote against Cairo.
On August 30, 2006 Tokyo won their national nomination to bid for the Games over Fukuoka.
On September 1, 2006 Rio was nominated to bid by the Brazilian Olympic Committee.
On April 14, 2007 Chicago won a domestic bid over Los Angeles to become the official United States applicant for the Games.
On May 30, 2007 the Spanish Olympic Committee confirmed that Madrid would bid.
On August 31, 2007 Prague, Czech Republic announced their intent to bid for the Games.
On September 13, 2007 – seven bids finalized applications including Baku, Azerbaijan and Doha Qatar.
On January 14, 2008 bid committees submitted questionnaire responses to be used for initial assessments of the bids.
During the applicant stage all bids were strong, however Prague had extremely low public support and there were fears that the bid might withdraw from the race.
On June 5, 2008 in Athens the IOC created a shortlist based on an initial evaluation that excluded Baku, Prague and Doha. While Doha scored lower than Rio – Doha was not included in the list of candidates because they planned to stage the Games outside of the IOC’s desired window due to the hot climate.
On March 26, 2009 at SportAccord in Denver all four bids presented to a large group of IOC members and sports leaders.
The Evaluation Commission led by Chairwoman Nawal El Moutawakel visited the four cities in April and May, 2009 for four days each. The Commission toured proposed venues and reviewed the bid books with the bid committees in great detail.
On June 18, 2009 the four cities made special presentations to a large group of IOC members in Lausanne.
On September 2, 2009 the final evaluation report was released. The report did not rank the cities but the language seems to favour the Rio de Janeiro and Chicago bids.
On October 2, 2009 in Copenhagen the four cities will present to IOC members for the last time just before a final vote for the 2016 Olympic Games host.
By Christine Brennan, USA TODAY
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President Obama is going to spend 18 hours on Air Force One over the next two days to try to do something that sounds easy enough, especially for him: convince a majority of International Olympic Committee members meeting in Copenhagen that his adopted hometown of Chicago is the place to hold the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.Obama being Obama, he likely will deliver a beautiful speech. He’ll smile and wave and say all the right things. He’ll probably move at least some of the 100-plus IOC members to tears.
But that doesn’t mean they’re going to vote for Chicago.
In fact, for all anyone can guess about the sports world’s most mercurial collection of characters, IOC members might be so inspired by Obama’s message of hope and inclusion that they’ll run off and vote for Rio de Janeiro and send the Olympics to long-ignored South America for the first time ever.
Or, they might fall in love with the president until they remember they promised their vote to another president, their revered former leader, Juan Antonio Samaranch of Spain, who might be 89 but still knows how to work a room for Madrid.
Obama has faced many audiences in his political career, but he has never met a group quite like the aging, Eurocentric, rich, overwhelmingly male, extremely self-centered bunch at the IOC. Some of them got so confused about the difference between baseball and softball that they voted both out of the Olympics. This is the group that used to make decisions about what city would win the Games based on what kind of bribes they handed out, trips to Disney World and cosmetic surgery being among the favorites.
A decade ago, IOC members appeared set to give the 2006 Winter Games to beautiful Sion, Switzerland, until they got mad at the IOC member who spilled the beans about the bribery scandal. He happened to be from Switzerland, so to punish him, the IOC handed the Olympics to Torino, Italy.
By STEPHEN WILSON (AP)
Friday’s vote by the International Olympic Committee in Copenhagen to select the host city for the 2016 Summer Games is too close to call.
Any of the four candidate cities — Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo — could win. Then again, any city could go out in the first round of the secret ballot.
For each city, here are three reasons they could win and three reasons they could lose:
CHICAGO
Why Win:
1. The Obama factor: First lady Michelle Obama works her charm in lobbying individual IOC members, then President Barack Obama flies in for Friday’s final presentation. The Obamas explain their deep roots with the Windy City and how their Chicago home sits just a few blocks from the planned venue for the 2016 opening ceremonies. Just swinging two or three votes could make the difference.
2. Lake Michigan: The city’s venue plans are laid out along Chicago’s picturesque downtown waterfront, with venues only a short distance from the athletes’ village.
3. Low risk: The Summer Olympics haven’t been held in the United States since 1996, and the IOC knows the games would be in safe hands if they returned to America. The IOC also would have a secure source of TV and marketing income.
Why Lose:
1. Rio’s romance: Chicago lacks the emotional, geographical and sentimental pull of Rio de Janeiro, which has impressed IOC members with its pitch for taking the Olympics to South America for the first time.
2. USOC baggage: Some members of the European-dominated IOC remain bitter over long-standing disputes with the U.S. Olympic Committee over its extra share of TV and marketing revenues. The USOC also ruffled IOC feathers recently by announcing the launch of its own TV network. The project has since been put on hold. U.S. influence inside the IOC has sharply diminished, with no American member even on the executive board.
3. Lesser known: Many IOC members have never been to Chicago and are more familiar with the three other cities. Since the Salt Lake City bid scandal, members are barred from visiting candidate cities, so many will vote based only on what they have read and heard about Chicago.
COPENHAGEN — Tokyo’s bid leaders were unsure if Japan’s new prime minister will have time to meet IOC members before Friday’s vote to decide the 2016 Olympics host city.
Yukio Hatoyama is scheduled to arrive in Copenhagen later Thursday and will take part in Tokyo’s final presentation to the International Olympic Committee on Friday.
Tokyo 2016 chief executive Ichiro Kono said he was not sure if Hatoyama would have time to meet with the more than 100 IOC members.
“I do hope so, but I am not sure,” Kono told the Associated Press.
The city is vying with Chicago, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro to host the 2016 Summer Games in 2016.
U.S. first lady Michelle Obama, Spain’s King Juan Carlos and Brazil’s president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva are already in Copenhagen lobbying for votes. President Barack Obama arrives Friday to take part in Chicago’s presentation, and Spanish prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero was to lead Madrid’s briefing later Thursday.
Hatoyama, who took office just two weeks ago, said Thursday he was going to Denmark to help win the vote.
“As long as I go, I want to win,” Hatoyama told reporters before heading for Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. “If our rivals are moving ahead of us, we’ll cruise to the top from behind.”
Kono told reporters at a briefing that celebrity endorsements were not Tokyo’s priority.
“In contrary, I believe the IOC would like to have the games for the athlete,” Kono said, stressing a favorite theme of IOC president Jacques Rogge.
The bid was designed by and for athletes, said Mikako Kotani, who won a bronze medal in synchronized swimming at the 1988 Seoul Games.
“They will be in the heart of city life, safe and secure. We will take care of every little detail,” Kotani said.
Competitors would be offered their personal choice of meal to make them feel at home in the athletes’ village, with 70 percent housed 10 minutes from their venues, she said.
Governor of Tokyo Shintaro Ishihara said Tokyo was the world’s safest city, with high quality drinking water and restaurants.
By GRAHAM DUNBAR (AP)
COPENHAGEN — Senior IOC members suggest the proven winning tactic of bringing top politicians to lobby for Olympic bids could be reaching an end.
The comments by Dick Pound and Jim Easton — who share 46 years’ experience on the International Olympic Committee — came as Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva arrived in Copenhagen to press Rio de Janeiro’s case for being awarded the 2016 games.
President Barack Obama flies in Friday to spend just a few hours in Denmark and be part of Chicago’s final presentation before IOC members vote later in the day.
Pound and Easton both wondered if Friday’s vote could be the last time heads of state play a decisive role in person.
“I think it will play well for a while,” Easton, a U.S. delegate to the IOC since 1994, told The Associated Press. “I don’t know how many (host city) votes it will play well with before it becomes expected. Then you need a superstar like Tony Blair to move audiences.”
Pound said Obama’s visit would enhance the campaign but was perhaps “going over the top a bit” given his busy schedule.
“You’ve got the leader of the free world flying halfway round the world to show up to make sure everybody understands he is supporting his country,” Pound said. “Is that a good use of his time?”
All four bids will be represented. Spain’s King Juan Carlos will join Madrid’s team, and new Japanese prime minister Yukio Hatoyama joins Tokyo’s push Thursday.
All are following the example of Tony Blair, the former British Prime Minister, and former Russia president Vladimir Putin. Their persuasive powers at previous IOC voting sessions helped land the 2012 games for London and get Sochi the 2014 Winter Olympics.
COPENHAGEN, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) — Heads of government or state from the countries of candidate cities have begun arriving in Copenhagen to lobby for the bid of their cities for hosting the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva arrived late Wednesday in the Danish capital to drum up support for Rio De Janeiro’s bid.
Silva, known as Lula, will meet with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) members on Thursday ahead of the vote the next day.
He had appealed on Sunday to delegates from Latin American and African countries “to vote for Rio”, hoping to bring the first Olympic Games to South America.
“The world’s biggest sporting event cannot always be held in rich countries,” he said.
Among the Brazilian delegation was well-known football player Pele, who had already been in Copenhagen.
U.S. President Barack Obama will arrive here on Friday and join First Lady Michelle in Chicago’s final presentation to the IOC.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do. We’re not taking anything for granted, so I’m going to go talk to some voters,” Michelle Obama told the press upon her arrival on Wednesday in the Marriott Hotel.
She said that she would tell the IOC members that Chicago “is a wonderful host city (with) great people, great facilities.”
“It knows about sports and its hospitality is like no other,” she added.
The IOC’s 121st Session will select the host city of the 2016 summer Olympic Games among Chicago, Tokyo, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro.
Rio de Janeiro and Chicago are seen as the favorites in a tight race as the Brazilian delegation hopes to bring the first Olympic games to Latin America and Obama’s presence throws heavy weight behind Chicago’e bid for hosting the largest sports event.
Obama, to be the first U. S. president to appeal in person to the IOC for an Olympics event, had previously wanted to stay at home to push forward his health care reform.
