Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stepped in personally to convince the international community that Fukushima nuclear disaster won’t happen again to get the final nod for Tokyo to host the 2020 Summer Olympic Games. Tokyo, which hosted the Olympic Games in 1964, beat Istanbul (Turkey) in a closely fought battle to win the endorsement.
Concerns were raised over Japan’s ability to host the Olympics because of the Fukushima radiation in 2011, which reportedly resulted in 14,000 deaths. The Japanese PM made the world believe that Fukushima Nuclear Plant, which is located 140 miles (230 km) from Tokyo, is completely safe and won’t have any negative impact on the Olympic Games.
In the initial round of voting, Madrid (Spain) lost out to Istanbul 45-49. After Madrid’s elimination, the battle was direct between Tokyo and Istanbul. But, it turned out to be a landslide victory for the Japanese capital, as it won the battle 60-36. Abe was given the full credit, as he left early from a G-20 Summit in Russia to make his pitch at the meeting IOC meeting in Buenos Aires.
It can me mentioned that Japan, which is the third largest economy in the world, was the first Asian country to host the Olympic Games.
Venues of Olympic Games:
1896 – Athens, Greece
1900 – Paris, France
1904 – St. Louis, USA
1908 – London, UK
1912 – Stockholm, Sweden
1916 – Cancelled
1920 – Antwerp, Belgium
1924 – Paris, France
1928 – Amsterdam, Netherlands
1932 – Los Angeles, USA
1936 – Berlin, Germany
1940 – Cancelled
1944 – Cancelled
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1948 – London, UK
1952 – Helsinki, Finland
1956 – Melbourne, Australia
1960 – Rome, Italy
1964 – Tokyo, Japan
1968 – Mexico City, Mexico
1972 – Munich, West Germany
1976 – Montreal, Canada
1980 – Moscow, USSR
1984 – Los Angeles, USA
1988 – Seoul, South Korea
1992 – Barcelona, Spain
1996 – Atlanta, USA
2000 – Sydney, Australia
2004 – Athens, Greece
2008 – Beijing, China
2012 – London, UK
2016 – Rio de Janerio, Brazil
2020 – Tokyo, Japan.
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