Don't get me wrong - I love watching the Olympics - especially the Dutch Women's Field Hockey Team (add sound of growling, horny tiger), but Tokyo's bid seems a tad selfish.
Along with Tokyo, Madrid and Istanbul (not Constantinople) have also submitted bis to host the Games, filing the documents at the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland on January 7, 2013.
Japan (and thus Tokyo), is in the middle of a horrible, horrible recession. It has suffered major infrastructure decimation following a March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and radiation contamination along its north eastcoast, it has thousands of people disenfranchised, massive unemployment, a yen that is destabilizing, island disputes with both China and Russia, and it thinks money should be spent on circuses rather than bread.
Tsk-tsk.
Oh well.... let the eight months of lobbying (buying of IOC votes) begin.
A 'secret' ballot will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina on September 7, 2013 where a new IOC president will be chosen to replace outgoing Jacque Rogge (pronounced 'rogue').
As you may recall, four years ago before the Japanese disasters, collapsing economy, increase in antagonism between themselves and China and Russia, Tokyo lost a chance to host the 2016 Olympic Games, narrowly being defeated by Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
And, because gamblers will bet on anything, Tokyo is considered the oddsmaker's favorite.
Here's a Japanese language report on the big deal.
Cheers
Andrew Joseph
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