What's new

So you think you deserve to host the Olympics?

Great discussion and info here. Am happy for sports, but feel selfish about it in light of Fukushima.

Two points not raised yet.

1. Abe lied about "everything under control/Tokyo safe" yet again. This makes me furious, as it is the same selfish arrogance that led to Fukushima disaster in the first place. Something happens, then it's 予想外. Nothing has changed in this mindset and the behavior still gets rewarded.

2. Olympic peace anybody?
Call me idealistic, but the same government also is preparing militarization via changing the constitution. Maybe out of scope, but still.

Still would even camp outside Izu velodrome from a pure sports perspective.
 
Just bought tokyo-2020-0lympic.com Can you see how I managed to do that?

By paying a little money to Godaddy? Incidentally, tokyo-2020-olympic.org and lots of others were still available as of a few seconds ago. (Indeed, the Andorran domain olympi.ad wasn't in use, though I'm not sure that it hasn't already been bagged.)
 
By paying a little money to Godaddy? Incidentally, tokyo-2020-olympic.org and lots of others were still available as of a few seconds ago. (Indeed, the Andorran domain olympi.ad wasn't in use, though I'm not sure that it hasn't already been bagged.)

Actually somebody beat me to tokyo-2020-olympic.com I had to settle for tokyo-2020-0lympic.com
 
I'll sell my istanbul2020.com for cheap!
 
I'll give you three canisters of CS gas and a magazine of plastic bullets for it....
Thank you for bringing TCC to the attention of NSA.
 
On the face of it, isn't it amazing that Tokyo went from 22 first round votes for its 2016 application to 42 for its 2020 application, with the added mill stone of Fukushima around its neck? Sure, the troubles in Syria didn't exactly help Istanbul, but it's only as far from Damascus as Tokyo is from nuclear armed North Korea.

This article in Japan Times described some of the back room wheeling and dealing that went on to make this outcome happen, including private meetings in hotel rooms with people who promise to deliver votes (in exchange for what exactly?).
According to a senior bid official, Princess Hisako, widow of Prince Takamado, Mori and Japanese government officials, met privately with athletics' world governing body IAAF president Lamine Diack, the Senegalese IOC member who has a heavy influence on the African vote, in a hotel room at the site of the IOC general session in Buenos Aires for discussions.

Honi soit qui mal y pense. Surely no thick brown paper envelopes or briefcases changed hands at those meetings? Nah, that would violate the Olympic spirit!
Tokyo, having learned the lessons from its failed bid for the 2016 Games, used a strategic lobbying campaign focusing on an administration change being orchestrated by Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, the influential Kuwaiti sheikh who has thrown his weight behind German IOC vice-president Thomas Bach to succeed IOC President Jacques Rogge in Tuesday's vote.

The sheikh, who is president of the Olympic Council of Asia and is widely known in IOC circles as the "Kingmaker," weaves an intricate web. "The election for the new IOC president and the host city are a complete set," a Tokyo bid consultant, who requested anonymity, told Kyodo News.
A "complete set" indeed, as Bach was also duly elected new IOC president at Buenos Aires, as favoured by the sheikh. Goes to show, you just need to talk to the right people!
 
Hey this isn't just isolated to the Olympics, look at the UCI.
 
@kiwisimon, amazing, this de-lawyerizing feature of the quote function of the new forum software ;)
 
However much they may have paid out in bribes is insignificant in how much they will now be able to get from the newly-legitimatised tax hike. Suddenly that difficult decision on whether to increase taxation to 8% is no longer such a difficult decision after all.
 
Nah, Tokyo doesn't deserve the Olympics. It's not about just bike rental availability (I too have never seen those white bikes shown in the photo). Even though bike usage may be higher per capita the shoddiness of the overall environment can't be denied.

Basically, Tokyo is a crappy city with nothing in the way of parks, open spaces or play areas. There are so few opportunities and places for kids or adults to stretch their legs, I reckon I need to get on the tube and go two stops before I can even see trees. Then the "park" is typically full of worthless little jobsworths telling you not to go here or there.

Where will the future generations of athletes come from or train? The facilities and whole infrastructure from childhood onwards seem to be woefully inadequate so it seems understandable that the medal tally is so low (jees and now Judo is out - where will the medals come from?). If there was an honest media there probably would have been some debate about this.

I do hope that something good will come from the Olympics but given past performance I can only guess that it will be another concrete laden disaster, further destroying the little greenery that remains in the city, and making it even more vandalised than it is already.
 
Last edited:
Then move!
I live in the Jindaiji area of Chofu, no buildings over 3 floors allowed. Lots of greenery and trees, huge parks, a botanical garden, tanuki wandering the streets at night, snakes, lizards,frogs and unfortunately Mosquitos in the back garden.
All 20 mins from my door to Shinjuku or 21 to Shibuya.
 
Back
Top Bottom