Tokyo’s bid said to be strong in ailing economy

DENVER — The chairman of Tokyo’s bid for the 2016 Olympics says the global economic crisis hasn’t hurt his city’s effort because his group has $4 billion in reserve and won’t have to buy land for new venues. Ichiro Kono will present Tokyo’s case this week, joining the other bidders from Chicago, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro. The presentation will be made at SportAccord, one of the largest gatherings of sports industry leaders. “We have not been influenced by the economic situation nowadays and we don’t have to buy any land for the Olympic Games," Ichiro Kono told The Associated Press on Monday. “It’s a great advantage." More than 1,500 delegates are on hand, including senior International Olympic Committee members, sports federation leaders, television executives and corporate sponsor CEOs. The highlight of the gathering is the Olympic bid presentations Thursday. The IOC, which is holding its executive board meetings at the conference in Denver, will select the host city by secret ballot Oct. 2 in Copenhagen. All four of the 2016 hopefuls are trying to position themselves as the most financially secure to cope with the economic downturn. “I believe we can offer the financially safest plan because the city of Tokyo is very, very healthy with about a $66 billion annual budget," Kono said. “As for the plan itself, we have already secured $4 billion special budget in cash for the Olympic Games." Although sports sponsorships have been affected worldwide by the ailing global economy, Kono said Tokyo is somewhat insulated because a number of corporations in the city and across Japan such as Toyota have a “high level of interest in sports, particularly the Olympic Games." Kono said Tokyo’s bid offers the most compact games with all of the venues except the shooting range less than five miles from the main stadium and 70 percent of the venues within 10 minutes of the Olympic Village. “So, that means it is very convenient for the athletes, the officials and the spectators, as well," Kono said. “And it’s a very comfortable environment for the athletes where each one may achieve his or her peak performance." Kono said 23 of the proposed 34 venues already exist in Tokyo, which hosted the 1964 Olympics, and land has already been secured for the 11 new facilities. Five of those new venues would be permanent, including the main Olympic stadium on the city’s central waterfront that would hold 100,000 spectators for track and field events and the opening and closing ceremonies. It is envisioned as a future hub for international sports on the continent. Kono said he doesn’t believe the IOC will hesitate to bring the games back to Asia so soon after Beijing. “As far as I know, the IOC has no policy for rotation," Kono said. “Also, after Beijing, the IOC will have the games in Vancouver in 2010, London in 2012 in Europe and Sochi — in Europe, again — in 2014." – AP