International Olympic Committee

Tokyo awarded 2020 Olympics
(Globe & Mail) The International Olympic Committee went for a familiar, trusted host, selecting Tokyo for the 2020 Games and signalling that playing it safe was preferable to more risky picks like Sochi and Rio.
With Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reassuring IOC members on the Fukushima nuclear crisis, Tokyo defeated Istanbul 60-36 Saturday in the final round of secret voting. Madrid was eliminated earlier after an initial tie with Istanbul.
5 September
Olympic bid cities have distinctive pitches, but all have drawbacks
(Globe & Mail) The finalist cities are Tokyo, Istanbul and Madrid, and each has been assured it’s a fair fight – such has not traditionally been the case for a process that would have made Machiavelli blush and is historically among humanity’s most corrupt endeavours.
Whether or not the process is actually fair – Mr. Szymanski argues rigorous technical requirements and various bureaucratic and ethical reforms make it a great deal more so than in the past – it remains a fascinating exercise in geopolitics and electoral unpredictability.
Reports have emerged this week that Madrid is close to capturing the required ballot total, but given the inscrutability of the actual vote and the shifting voting blocs, who really knows?
4 September
Sources are often wrong
2020 Olympics Likely To Go To Madrid: Source
(HuffPost) Just three days before the International Olympic Committee is expected to decide which city will host the Summer Games in 2020, an expert familiar with the organization told The Huffington Post Wednesday evening that it seems increasingly likely the IOC will choose the Spanish capital of Madrid.
Wolfgang Maennig, a professor of economics at Hamburg University … said he met with two Olympic officials, including the president of a national delegation he declined to name, and both said Madrid was quickly pulling away as the favorite to host the Olympic Games over candidate cities Istanbul and Tokyo.
“I talked today to the president of a national federation and people are still afraid of Syria and even Iraq, even though that was years ago, affecting Turkey,” Maennig said on Wednesday. “There are also many concerns about the level of radiation in Japan.”
2 September
Olympic movement braces for biggest meeting in a generation
(Financial Times) The Olympic movement, so used to being spoiled for choice over where to stage its global carnival of sport, faces an uncomfortable decision this week on the city to host the 2020 games, amid deep reservations about each of the three candidates.
Government leaders, bid officials, celebrities and sports stars backing the campaigns of Tokyo, Istanbul and Madrid will use their powers of persuasion to charm members of the International Olympic Committee at their congress in Buenos Aires, ahead of voting on Saturday. …
Since the shortlist of three was drawn up in May of last year, the plight of the Spanish economy has continued to weigh down Madrid’s bid, while Istanbul’s has been badly damaged by unrest on its streets. Both also have questions to answer on their handling of recent doping scandals.
Unobtrusively, Tokyo appeared to have steadied concerns about the impact of the 2011 radioactive leak at Fukushima – that is until this week’s discovery of new radiation hotspots.
30 August
Much at stake at upcoming IOC meeting in Buenos Aires
(AP via Japan Times) Rarely, if ever, has so much been on the line at a single Olympic meeting.
When IOC members gather next week in Buenos Aires, they will be faced with three decisions that will shape the direction of the Olympic movement for the next decade. …
While most IOC members are primarily interested in the Sept. 10 presidential election, the first big vote comes on Sept. 7 with a secret ballot on the 2020 host city.
Sochi 2014: Tokyo, Thomas Bach and wrestling likely winners in three key Olympic votes
(Toronto Star) The International Olympic Committee is meeting in Buenos Aires next week to pick a city for the 2020 Olympics, pick a new president and add one sport to the program.
Rarely, if ever, has so much been on the line at a single Olympic meeting.
When International Olympic Committee members gather next week in Buenos Aires, Argentina, they will be faced with three decisions that will shape the direction of the Olympic movement for the next decade.
At stake: Choosing the host city of the 2020 Olympics, electing a new IOC president to succeed Jacques Rogge and selecting one sport to add to the 2020 program.
29 May
IOC’s 2020 Olympic shortlist includes wrestling, squash, baseball/softball
(CBC) The International Olympic Committee put forth wrestling, squash and a joint baseball/softball bid on the short list for sports to be considered for the 2020 Summer Games.
The IOC made the announcement of the three chosen from a list of eight at the site of its summit this week in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Only one sport will ultimately be chosen in September at meetings in Argentina for inclusion at the 2020 Olympics.