Jun 7, 2007 1:28 pm US/Central
Tokyo Enters Bid To Host 2016 Olympics
Daley: Chicago Faces Tough Competition From International Contenders
TOKYO (AP) ―
Tokyo will bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
The Japanese Olympic Committee on Thursday notified the International Olympic Committee of its intention to offer Tokyo as a candidate to host the 2016 Olympics.
JOC president Tsunekazu Takeda and Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara both submitted letters of intent to IOC president Jacques Rogge. It is the first formal procedure in the process of making a bid for the Olympics with the IOC, which will select the winning city in 2009.
Chicago, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil have also been approved as candidates by their national Olympic bodies. Tokyo hosted the Summer Games in 1964.
Chicago Mayor Richard Daley said Thursday that his city faces tough competition from the growing list of international contenders that hope to lure the Games.
"These are very formidable cities," he said.
Chicago has never hosted the Olympics.
All candidate cities must submit initial bid files to the IOC by Sept. 13.
Other possible contenders include Rome; Prague, Czech Republic; Doha, Qatar, and Baku, Azerbaijan.
(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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