(ATR) IOC president Thomas Bach says the Tokyo 2020 Olympics offer an opportunity to show progress the country has made since a devastating tsunami in 2011.
"The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 can also play a positive role in the regeneration efforts of Japan’s disaster-affected area," Bach said in his keynote address at the World Forum on Sport and Culture in Tokyo on Oct. 20.
The IOC president says the IOC and Tokyo 2020 organizers are considering moving some of the venues out of Tokyo and into the disaster-affected areas to demonstrate this progress. Bach says Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe welcomed this proposal.
"With this project we want to send an important message of solidarity to the local population that is suffering so much," Bach said. "In this way, the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 can be a great opportunity to showcase the progress that Japan has made in the rebuilding and regeneration of the area."
Bach mentioned that baseball and softball may host some games in disaster-affected areas. The sports are rejoining the Olympic program after a 12-year hiatus along with introduction of four new sports: sport climbing, karate, skateboarding and surfing. These five sports were able to be added to the program through the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020.
"Thanks to Olympic Agenda 2020 and the vision of the organizers, the inclusion of these sports means that Tokyo 2020 will generate more interest and be even more attractive to an even wider audience," said Bach. "Taken together, the five sports are an innovative combination of established, emerging and youth-focused events that are popular in Japan and will add to the legacy of Tokyo 2020."
Bach reiterated the IOC’s support to the Tokyo organizers and says the IOC will invest around $1.7 billion in the Tokyo 2020 Games.
The IOC support coupled with the confidence of the Japanese business community in the Olympics will help make the Games a success.
"The Tokyo 2020 commercial program continues to be extremely successful, securing an unprecedented number of sponsorships at this stage already," said Bach. "This commercial success is proof of the continued confidence that the business community has in the uniqueness and attractiveness of the Olympic Games."
Bach is finishing up a tour in Japan that included meetings with Tokyo 2020 leaders, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as well as keynote addresses at the International Gymnastics Federation congress and Thursday’s World Forum on Sport and Culture.
Bach will return to Japan for the Rio 2016 debriefing and transfer of knowledge at the end of November.
Written by Kevin Nutley
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