The Japanese Bid is on track to bring the ambitious 100-year Olympic legacy vision to life

Tokyo, 12 August 2009 – With little more than 50 days to go until the IOC’s decision in Copenhagen, the highly motivated Tokyo 2016 Top Delegation has left Tokyo today to join the Olympic Family in Berlin ahead of the IAAF Executive Board meeting (13-14 August 2009) and IAAF World Championships (15-24 August).

Already on the road following attendance at the FINA World Championships in Rome, Dr Kono, Chair & CEO of Tokyo 2016, shared yesterday with the International media in London the Tokyo 2016 Winning Blueprint. He further explained what Tokyo 2016 would offer to the Olympic Family, unveiling the key assets which would allow Tokyo to be the best partner of the Olympic Movement on the long-term and ultimately generate an unrivaled 100-year Olympic legacy.

Lead by Dr Kono, the Tokyo 2016 Top-level delegation in Berlin also includes Shintaro Ishihara, Governor of Tokyo and President of Tokyo 2016, Tsunekazu Takeda, President of the Japanese Olympic Committee and Vice President of Tokyo 2016, Chiharu Igaya, IOC Member and Vice President of the IOC, Koji Murofushi, Olympic gold medallist in the hammer throw and Executive Board Member of Tokyo 2016, and Mikako Kotani, Olympic medallist swimmer and Chair of the Tokyo 2016 Athletes’ Commission.

Dr Kono declared:
“Athletics has a special place in the hearts of sport enthusiasts, and thus the IAAF World Championships is a key event in the international sport calendar. It is a great celebration of athletic performance, a thrilling event we will join with passion. It is especially important for us a few weeks before the final decision of the IOC in Copenhagen.”

“We are in the final lap of an intense two year campaign through which we have engaged with a lot of Olympic Family members to promote Tokyo 2016 and explain why we believe Tokyo is the best choice to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. In the remaining time before addressing the IOC Members in Copenhagen, we will continue to demonstrate our commitment to the Olympic Movement and how we can help them to achieve their ambition of reaching millions more youth around the world, engaging them with sport and healthy living.”

During more than two years, Japan has put all efforts to bring the Games in the heart of Japan’s vibrant capital and to build the foundations of its 100-Year legacy. Involving athletes at every stage, the Tokyo 2016 Bid Team has demonstrated the relevance of its compact, athlete-focused Games Plan to the Olympic Family Members, demonstrating its passionate will to host the Games and give back to the Olympic Movement the great benefits it has received since joining the movement exactly 100 years ago.

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For further information, please contact:
Masa Takaya (Mr), Manager, International Communications, Tokyo 2016
+81-3-5320-2480,
+81(0) 90 6548 6102 (mobile),
masanori.takaya@tokyo2016.or.jp