Ahad 08 Sep 2013 20:42 WIB

Banzai... Tokyo wins bid to host 2020 Olympics

Citizens form
Foto: AP/Kyodo News
Citizens form "Thank you" to celebrate at the Tokyo Municipal Government office square in Tokyo Sunday, Sept. 8, 2013 after the International Olympic Committee chose the city to host the 2020 Olympics.

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, TOKYO - Cheers and shouts of "Banzai!!" echoed across Tokyo just after sunrise as thousands of people started celebrating the city's successful bid to host the 2020 Olympics, beating rivals Istanbul and Madrid despite concerns about a nuclear plant leaking radioactive water.

A slight favorite ahead of the International Olympic Committee's vote in Beunos Aires, Argentina, Japan's capital defeated Istanbul 60-36 in the final round. Madrid was eliminated in the first round.

More than 1,200 dignitaries and Olympic athletes crammed into a convention hall in downtown Tokyo at 5 am local time Sunday to usher in the start of the buildup for the Tokyo 2020 Games. Shouts of "Banzai" — a typical Japanese celebratory yell after big victories — filled the hall when the winning bid was confirmed.

"This is a credit to the efforts of the entire nation," said bid ambassador Saori Yoshida, a three-time gold medalist in women's wrestling. "The chance to see the highest level of sport live is a great chance for everyone and as an Olympic athlete I'm thrilled."

Tokyo, which promoted its bid as the reliable choice at a time of global political and economic uncertainty, had been on the defensive in the final days of the campaign because of mounting concerns over the leak of radioactive water from the tsunami-crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.

In the final presentation before the vote, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gave the IOC assurances the Fukushima leak wasn't a threat to Tokyo and took personal responsibility for keeping the games safe.

Thousands of residents celebrated at Komazawa Olympic Stadium, a soccer venue when Tokyo last hosted the Olympics in 1964. Across town in the Shibuya entertainment district, late-night revelers marked the occasion with cheers of "Nippon! Nippon!"

Tokyo's bid to host the 2016 Games was hampered by lukewarm public support, but that wasn't a problem this time. Benefiting in part from Japan's strong showing at the London Olympics, Tokyo had a 70 percent approval rating.

The news will also be welcome on the economic front. Abe's "Abenomics strategy" is aiming to fuel a lasting recovery from years of stagnation. Japan's economy grew a slower-than-expected 2.6 percent last quarter as companies wary over the prospects for a sustained recovery kept a tight rein on investment.

 

 

 

 

Members of the Tokyo 2020 delegation celebrate after Tokyo was awarded the 2020 Olympic Games during the 125th IOC session in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2013. 

 

AP/Victor R. Caivano

 

 

 

 

sumber : AP
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