Tokyo to bid for 2016

ByReuters

Published 08/03/2006 at 10:31 GMT

Tokyo's metropolitan assembly on Wednesday passed a resolution to bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics. The Japanese Olympic Committee is set to choose the country's official bid city in late August, with the capital's only current rival the city of Fukuoka on the southernmost main island of Kyushu.

Eurosport

Image credit: Eurosport

Japan last hosted the Summer Games in Tokyo in 1964.

"For Tokyo to host the Olympics again after half a century would be an opportunity to demonstrate our strong desire for world peace and it would also be a chance to create a mature, safe and environmentally friendly city," the resolution said, according to the Tokyo assembly's Web site.

The northern city of Sapporo pulled out of the race last month, citing financial difficulties.

Olympic Games Paris 2024