Rio de Janeiro is scheduled to host the 2016 Olympics, after the next month's London Games for 2012. It will be for the first time in Latin America and the Caribbean. And after that? For 2020? At the moment three cities have passed the preliminary IOC (International Olympic Committee) standard. They are Istanbul, Tokyo and Madrid.
Being a Japanese I know Tokyo fairly well. This is a city where the Prefectural Government has scarcely taken care of housing for the low-income groups. After the so-called economic bubble exploded two decades ago, the socio-economic gaps are widening. The less well-to-do are neglected not in housing alone. In education, care of the aged/handicapped people, especially in terms of the nursing facilities to look after them, or protecting the working mothers, Tokyo is very much backward.
Is not the urban infrastructure well-laid? The suburban trains are running on time, which may or may not be a great thing. But the roads are not up to the standard. They have buried many beautiful small waterways to turn them to tiny parks(in the absence of real ones) and parking places for cycles. This has robbed us of the scenery, and also the channels for water when it rains hard.
The support to the proposed Olympics by the residents, the IOC says, is the lowest in Tokyo. Compared to 73% in Istanbul and 78% in Madrid, it is only 47%.
The above-mentioned degrading living conditions are certainly not conducive to creating the atmosphere welcoming the Olympics. What is more significant may be the fact that the number of parks and sports facilities per unit of population in Tokyo, or in Japan in general, is very small. Therefore the sports activities of the residents are generally discouraged.
Both the national and the Prefectural governments have no positive policies for providing the general public with sports facilities, and enhancing their health standard. Prevention is definitely better than cure.
Under the circumstances, it is difficult to find a spontaneous support coming up, to create an atmosphere to welcome it. The above 47% is, if at all, exaggerated. People may enjoy watching the games on the TV. But they do not feel that they are respected as lovers of sports. The initiative has come only from above.
It would be the height of folly to appeal to the IOC on one hand, but neglect sports and sports facilities domestically. Tokyo is thus not qualified to host Olympics. The earlier it withdraws the better.
That would leave Madrid and Istanbul. I like them both. There is a great apprehension about the Spanish currency right now, but if lots of tourists bring money with them, it will be a great help. They have many great treasures such as Picasso's "Guernica", Museo Nacional Centro De Arte, Reina Sofia, Madrid.
But if Istanbul hosts it, it would be the first Olympics in the Islamic country. It would certainly help reestablish the principle of multi-culturalism. I am heartily in support of Istanbul Olympics.
Being a Japanese I know Tokyo fairly well. This is a city where the Prefectural Government has scarcely taken care of housing for the low-income groups. After the so-called economic bubble exploded two decades ago, the socio-economic gaps are widening. The less well-to-do are neglected not in housing alone. In education, care of the aged/handicapped people, especially in terms of the nursing facilities to look after them, or protecting the working mothers, Tokyo is very much backward.
Is not the urban infrastructure well-laid? The suburban trains are running on time, which may or may not be a great thing. But the roads are not up to the standard. They have buried many beautiful small waterways to turn them to tiny parks(in the absence of real ones) and parking places for cycles. This has robbed us of the scenery, and also the channels for water when it rains hard.
The support to the proposed Olympics by the residents, the IOC says, is the lowest in Tokyo. Compared to 73% in Istanbul and 78% in Madrid, it is only 47%.
The above-mentioned degrading living conditions are certainly not conducive to creating the atmosphere welcoming the Olympics. What is more significant may be the fact that the number of parks and sports facilities per unit of population in Tokyo, or in Japan in general, is very small. Therefore the sports activities of the residents are generally discouraged.
Both the national and the Prefectural governments have no positive policies for providing the general public with sports facilities, and enhancing their health standard. Prevention is definitely better than cure.
Under the circumstances, it is difficult to find a spontaneous support coming up, to create an atmosphere to welcome it. The above 47% is, if at all, exaggerated. People may enjoy watching the games on the TV. But they do not feel that they are respected as lovers of sports. The initiative has come only from above.
It would be the height of folly to appeal to the IOC on one hand, but neglect sports and sports facilities domestically. Tokyo is thus not qualified to host Olympics. The earlier it withdraws the better.
That would leave Madrid and Istanbul. I like them both. There is a great apprehension about the Spanish currency right now, but if lots of tourists bring money with them, it will be a great help. They have many great treasures such as Picasso's "Guernica", Museo Nacional Centro De Arte, Reina Sofia, Madrid.
But if Istanbul hosts it, it would be the first Olympics in the Islamic country. It would certainly help reestablish the principle of multi-culturalism. I am heartily in support of Istanbul Olympics.
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