It was just a matter of time for Tokyo, Japan to become part of the world’s biggest stage, yet again.
After 56 long, excruciating years of waiting for another crack at it, the capital city of Japan will finally be able to play host at the Summer Olympic Games seven years from now. (The Japanese were a part of holding the 1998 Winter Games at Nagano.)
As Madrid and Istanbul agonize in defeat, the Southeast Asian city will bring only but positive contributions toward its nearly crumbling economy.
It may have taken some steps backward to try and help mold this epic run for Japan, according to Economist.com. Its 2016 bid to hold the games went under because of the lack of expressed interest by its locals, and also the fact that there had been a tsunami and earthquake which damaged the northeast coast in 2011.
According to NewYorker.com, after two previous consecutive bid failures, the main two reasons for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to vote them over locations of Spain and Turkey was due to in part to the Prime Minister of Japan making a very rare appearance outside of his native land.
In Buenos Aires, Argentina, Shinzo Abe flew to the IOC’s meetings in Buenos Aires, Argentina to make a strong pitch for why his nation should be the host for the Olympic Games. He wanted to personally reassure the voters that there was absolutely zero health risk of radioactive leaks from the Fukushima power plant.
He also promised the voters the responsibility of upholding fiscal obligations and to present any and all visitors to his nation with a passionate welcome.
“The joy was even greater than when I won my own election,” Abe told reporters after hearing the news that his nation was elected host.
Tokyo isn’t the only city facing economic and political difficulties. Madrid and Istanbul are in the same boat with the Japanese capital city and the immense challenges all three cities brought to the table created a very tricky voting scenario for the IOC.
After the first round of voting, there was a tie that required a “tie break,” which the Turkish city Istanbul managed to win. In the final round of voting, Japan swiftly won over Istanbul with a tally of 60 votes to 36 votes.
The plan going forward now is to construct many new arenas for the games. In fact, out of the 37 planned venues, 22 will be built from scratch. The centerpiece from the ’64 games will be refurbished and act as the main act for the future games.
The Japanese government has created a cost analysis of the entire project that will create uproar if this whole event flakes out. 4.7 billion dollars will be used in order for the construction to take place, while a projected $3 trillion dollars is the goal of pursued, economic stability.
In seven years time, a nation will rise up to the occasion and have a 28-day window to forget about any and all conflicts that are currently arising. There will be an all inclusive, residual effect for love and affection that will spread around the nation of Japan.
Because in the end, that’s what the Olympic Games are meant to induce: an international frenzy that captivates people of all race, ethnicity, skin color, religion, size, gender and sexual orientation.
Kevin Barasia can be reached at kevin.barasia@spartans.ut.edu.