On the Scene -- Tokyo 2016 Counters Obama Chicago Advantage

Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara tried to explain past comments he has made about Japanese treatment of Koreans during colonial occupation. (ATR/Panasonic:Lumix)Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara says Japan will have its own influential people to counter the likely presence of U.S. President Barack Obama when the IOC votes for a 2016 host in Copenhagen this October.

“That is going to be a relatively big power for Chicago. But Japan will send some influential representatives to the final place of the decision. We will send some powerful people,” he told reporters through a translator Thursday.

Speaking at a press briefing at the close of the IOC Evaluation Commission’s first meetings with the Tokyo 2016 bid team, he said it had been a “fulfilling day.” “I think we were able to respond to the sharp questions,” Ishihara added in comments assessing the day’s business.

“The yacht called Tokyo is sailing very smoothly with the wind,” said Ishihara, a keen sailor over several decades.

But Ishihara was flustered by a question about South Korea’s recent calls to the IOC to reject the Tokyo 2016 bid based on previous comments he made. Those comments denied Japan’s alleged atrocities against Korea during its colonial rule of the country from 1910 to 1945.

At first Ishihara was prevented from answering the question – the first of the press conference – with Tokyo 2016 officials desperate to steer the focus back to the bid. But he eventually responded briefly after the question was repeated.

He said that Japan’s governance of Korea was “a matter of comparison” but added, “It was gentle, fair and equitable.”

Tokyo 2016 rushed out an official statement shortly after the press conference in a bid to redress the unfortunate comments made by the Tokyo governor, although it failed to directly address his Korean misspeak.

“Governor Ishihara is deeply committed to the long-term benefits of the Olympic Games. This includes the principles of peace, harmony and friendship throughout the region,” the statement said. “He has said this on a number of occasions and will stress this again to the IOC.”

The statement said the governor was heavily involved in many Asian and international initiatives with countries around the world, such as the ANC21 network of leading Asian cities including Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo and others, which he was instrumental in founding.

The news conference proved to be a lengthy exercise in lecturing about the sports venues and environmental aspects of the bid rather than a chance to learn what bid leaders had made of the day’s proceedings.

Bid chair and CEO Ichiro Kono and Japanese Olympic Committee President Tsunekazu Takeda faced the media along with Olympians Yuko Arikada and Mikako Kotani to sketch out the sports venues concept and field media inquiries. Additional members of the bid team took the podium to discuss some of the other themes presented to the IOC delegation.

The 13-member panel led by Moroccan IOC member Nawal El Moutawakel was locked in private meetings with bid officials at Hotel Okura the entire day, with the afternoon session focusing on the themes of Olympic Village, accommodation, transport and environment and weather.

Japanese PM Pitches IOC

Earlier in the day, Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso launched the bid’s presentations to the IOC commission at Hotel Okura in a show of the government’s commitment to stage the Games in the heart of Tokyo. Aso, an Olympian shooter from the 1976 Games, was accompanied by the Secretary of State and Olympian Seiko Hashimoto and the ministers of foreign affairs and education.

Addressing the panel in English, Aso drew on his experience at the Montreal Olympics to explain how the Japanese Panelists for the Thursday night Tokyo 2016 press conference. (ATR/Panasonic:Lumix)capital would become a fitting stage for young Olympians from around the world.

“It was a wonderful and unforgettable experience, and I believe that this is because the Olympic Games are the world’s biggest and most prestigious event. The Games have the ability to transcend racial barriers and national boundaries and unite the world,” he told the commission.

Aso’s appeal to the IOC inspectors was preceded by welcome speeches by IOC members Chiharu Igaya and Shunichiro Okano. Governor Ishihara then addressed the panel in English and Japanese, highlighting the city’s qualities including its safety record, cuisine and reliable public transport network.

The first round of presentations Thursday focused on three of the 17 themes contained in Tokyo’s candidature file. Vision, legacy and communication, the overall concept of the Olympic Games, and sport and venues came under scrutiny in the opening session.

At a lunchtime press briefing Thursday, Yosuke Fujiwara, senior executive officer, planning & PR Tokyo 2016, described Aso’s speech in English as “fairly alright.”

Ishihara spoke about the importance of the environment and legacy to Games planning. “We have reached the point of no return [on the environment]Architect Tadao Ando briefed the IOC commission on his concept of venues along Tokyo Bay in the midst of what he calls a Sea Forest.(ATR/Panasonic:Lumix) and this Olympic Games will be an excellent chance to help save our planet. It will be a showcase of our various environmental efforts,” he told commission members.

Ishihara also talked about the robust finances that underpinned the Tokyo bid, especially in the construction. He said $3.7 billion was already set aside in the city’s budget. Of the 34 venues earmarked for the Games, 24 already exist. Only six temporary and five permanent facilities would need to be built.

Next to address the IOC panel was JOC leader Takeda, who mainly focused on the development of the country’s Olympic Movement. The 100th anniversary of the appointment of Japan’s first IOC member is on May 27.

Bid leader Kono and Tadao Ando, architect of Tokyo’s ‘Sea Forest’ Olympic zone and a Tokyo 2016 board member, jointly presented the bid’s venue concept. Kono explained the meaning of the “Setting the stage for heroes” campaign slogan, saying it embraced the venues, the city and its people.

Ando said Tokyo 2016 would provide a showcase of sustainable legacy for the Olympic Movement, blending existing and new venues in a compact concept that would be surrounded by water and greenery. He made mention of the Sea Forest, the nearly 3 acres of green space that would be created from reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay.

Ando said the Olympic Stadium symbolized the city’s environmental aspirations.

“With an Olympic Stadium floating above the sea, surrounded by forest, it will allow people to think about our earth, our environment and our children’s future,” Ando told the IOC commission.

Fujiwara said the bid team had dealt comfortably with the questions posed in a 30-minute Q&A session, responding to queries ranging from the conceptual to very technical aspects.

“I think we were able to provide the answers that the IOC expected,” he said.

The IOC delegation embarks on a venue tour Friday led by Governor Ishihara. The media will intersect with the commission at one point for a photo call before following the same route on a separate tour. The visit takes in the planned sites of the Olympic Stadium, Olympic Village and Tokyo Big Sight, the main broadcast and press center, as well as several venues used for the 1964 Tokyo Games.

With reporting from Mark Bisson in Tokyo.

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