Coates Already Working
Less than 24 hours after being announced as the Coordination Commission chairman for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, John Coates is already on the job.
On Thursday, he met with Yoshitaka Akimoto, Japan’s ambassador to Australia who flew to Sydney for a meeting with Coates.
"This is an opportunity for me personally to give something back from what I have learned previously and, in the case of Tokyo, help the Japanese Olympic Committee and the Japanese Government," Coates said in a statement released by the Australian Olympic Committee. Coates was a vice president of the Sydney 2000 Olympics organizing committee.
Coates offered a preview of what his work with the Coordination Commission will focus on.
"My emphasis has always been the athletes. You can’t go wrong if your start and finish point is what’s best for the athletes. If the Coordination Commission and the Tokyo Organizing Committee remain focused on those elements a successful Games follows," Coates said.
Tokyo Reaction to Coordination Commission
Masa Takaya, a spokesperson for Tokyo 2020 said neither the organizing committee or the government had a formal reaction to the appointment of Coates as Coordination Commission chair, but he did say that the organizations "would like to thank the IOC for these early appointments."
He added that the appointments "gained big attention nationwide" when announced on Wednesday.
Tokyo Briefs…
…On Wednesday, the Japanese Tourism Agency said it would work to strengthen tourism hospitality for the 2020 Olympics. The group met for the first time since Tokyo was awarded the Games. "The government and private sectors will have to be united for all-Japan efforts," JTA Commissioner Shigeto Kubo said according to the Kyodo News Agency.
…Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki said the proposed design for the National Stadium is too big for its site. Maki said the he was not criticizing the design, just the size of the venue. "Intuition tells me it is a complete mismatch," he was quoted telling a Japanese architectural magazine.
Homepage photo from Getty Images
Written by Ed Hula III
20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.
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