Games will repay debt we owe the world: Japan Prime Minister
Buenos Aires: Tokyo will repay the world the debt they owe them for their help after the devastating tsunami in 2011 when the city hosts the 2020 Olympic Games Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said. The 58-year-old was speaking after the Japanese capital secured their second Olympic Games — having previously had them in 1964 -- by beating Istanbul by 60 votes to 36 at a meeting of International Olympic Committee (IOC) members in Buenos Aires on Saturday. Abe, whose final presentation allayed members’ fears over contaminated water leaking from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, said Japan would repay its debt to the world in full. He added that he had seen how sport could change lives in the immediate aftermath of the quake and giant waves that struck northeast Japan in March 2011, leaving over 18,000 people dead and badly damaging the nuclear plant.
Istanbul feels Olympic disappointment for Fifth time
Istanbul: A groan went out in the old city of Istanbul where hundreds of hopeful Turks heard the announcement Saturday that Tokyo had been chosen to host the 2020 Olympics. Istanbul’s failed bid was a blow to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had flown to Buenos Aires to make the case straight from the Group of 20 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia. Turkey, an early favorite, seemed to falter in June when the government clashed violently with protesters. Istanbul’s bid may also have been hurt by a string of doping scandals among Turkish athletes and the uncertainty of neighboring Syria’s civil war. Rafet Pacali, an Istanbul resident, said the repeated rejection for Istanbul in its fifth bid was difficult to take. “They just don’t want to give it to us,” he said, while sparing some optimism. “Next time hopefully, if it’s meant to be.”
Madrid’s Olympic hopes dashed a 3rd straight time
MADRID: Tens of thousands of Spaniards were devastated after Madrid lost its bid to host the 2020 Olympics on Saturday amid fears about the country’s economy and unemployment rate. It was the third straight time the capital failed in attempts to win the Summer Games. The International Olympic Committee meeting in Buenos Aires eliminated the city in the first round of voting, with Tokyo beating Istanbul in the final round. “What a blow,” Carlos Vinuesa, a 36-year-old owner of a food transport company, said. “It’s doubly disappointing because we lost both the bid and the party that Madrid had prepared. We had come with my family of three children, and frankly, this is a disaster.”
Nadal blasts Madrid’s 2020 snub
New York: Tennis superstar Rafael Nadal blasted the decision not to award Madrid the 2020 Olympic Games, claiming the International Olympic Committee had not treated the Spanish capital fairly. Tokyo won the right to host the Games after seeing off Madrid and Istanbul in votes held yesterday in Buenos Aires. But Nadal, the world number two tennis player and a tireless campaigner for Madrid, said he was shocked to see Madrid, who were trying for the third time to win the Games, eliminated in the first round of voting. “It’s very hard and tiring for all of us, because the country and the city of Madrid worked a lot to have the chance so many times,” said the 27-year-old. “We feel that we deserve it. I was disappointed because we felt that we were in a good position. All the country was very involved. I felt that after a lot of years working, I don’t know if it’s 100% fair that we go out at the first qualification when our opponents haven’t been in that position as many times.” Nadal was speaking after booking a place in Monday’s US Open final, where he will take on world number one Novak Djokovic.
Barcelona readies 2022 Winter Olympics bid after Madrid loss
Barcelona: less than one day after Madrid lost in its bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympics, Barcelona Mayor Xavier Trias said that the city is prepared to present a bid for the 2022 Winter Games. “We have the dossier ready,” Trias told Catalan television Sunday. “We need to speak with the Spanish Olympic Committee to see if they are ready to go forward with this venture.” Madrid failed in its third straight try to win the right to host the Summer Games on Saturday when the International Olympic Committee chose Tokyo over the Spanish capital and Istanbul. Barcelona is planning to present a “Barcelona-Pyrenees” bid with the nearby mountains as an alpine venue. Barcelona’s previous mayor, Jordi Hereu, announced plans to bid for the 2022 Games in 2010, before Madrid announced its most recent bid for the Summer Games. Trias had said earlier this year that he would launch Barcelona’s winter bid if Madrid lost. He had also given his public support to Madrid in its attempt to host the world’s largest sporting event. Barcelona held the 1992 Summer Games and used the event to remodel the city’s sea front and invest heavily in transportation and other improvements. Thanks to the success of the Games, Barcelona was transformed from a postindustrial town into one of Europe’s leading tourist destinations. Barcelona’s plan for a bid received the backing of the regional Catalan government. Agencies