In what many considered to be an upset win, Japan’s capital won the winning bid for the 2020 Olympics early Sunday. Tokyo won the bid after a final round of voting by International Olympic Committee (IOC) members in Buenos Aires, beating Istanbul by 60-36 votes.
It was a surprise, as not many expected the city to win. However, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed to show the world “a safe and secure Olympics games” during a personal presentation to the committee, promising a major cleanup of any radiation leakages from the Fukushima nuclear plants.
In a post-announcement press conference, Abe said, “Sport has the power to unite people. We experienced that after the earthquake and tsunami in 2011, when athletes came to our country and helped us. Japan needs the power of sport; we need hopes and dreams.”
The upcoming 2014 Winter Olympics will be held in Sochi, Russia, followed by the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil, and then the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.
