(ATR) Hiroshima and Tokyo are expected to produce initial plans for a 2020 Olympic bid by the end of June, Around the Rings is told.
Japanese Olympic Committee director of International Relations and Strategic Planning Yasuhiro Nakamori spoke to ATR after meeting Friday with Hiroshima officials.
"They could make a good plan for the Olympics but they need much more effort," says Nakamori after he and JOC secretary general Noriyuki Ichihara heard from Hiroshima officials.
After the Hiroshima city council blocked a budget for the bid last week, this week the council approved $225,000 to create a basic plan to submit to the JOC in June, Nakamori says.
"Not for promotion, just planning for a bid," he says.
Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba initially proposed a joint bid for the 2020 Olympics with Nagasaki, hoping to unite the cities, 400km apart, under the banner of a bid from the only two cities in the world to suffer a nuclear attack. But the JOC warned that the IOC was unlikely to approve a two-city bid and Nagasaki dropped out.
"The city council is watching very carefully the activities of the mayor," notes Nakamori about the skepticism of the city council. He also says Akiba has been told that the Hiroshima prefecture government needs to be informed about the bid because its support will also be needed.
And while lauding the message of peace carried by the Hiroshima bid, Nakamori says an Olympic bid needsmore than that to succeed.
"Hiroshima has a very strong concept and vision for the 2020 bid. The JOC accepts their concept and vision, but it is not enough to have a good Olympic Games," he says.
Nakamori says Hiroshima has about 30 percent of the venues needed for the Olympics.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Governor Shintaro Ishihara has already signaled his interest in presenting a new bidfor 2020. The Japanese capital finished third in the race for 2016.
But Nakamori says formal approval to proceed with a new bid isn’t expected from Tokyo until June. Right now, he says the city is trying to resolve a budget deficit.
He says should both Tokyo and Hiroshima submit bid files, the decision will rest with the JOC leadership – and not hinge on a public campaign.
"This time we don’t want the cities to compete with each other," says Nakamori, recalling the way Tokyo and Fukuoka battled each other for the 2016 JOC nomination. It was a process that led to hard feelings when Fukuoka was rejected in favor of Tokyo.
He says the JOC decision will come "in autumn".
Written by Ed Hula.
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