The International Olympic Committee has selected Tokyo to host the 2020 Games. The organization hinted that they’re playing it safe to more risky picks like Sochi and Rio.
After the Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe reassured the IOC members on the Fukushima nuclear crisis, Tokyo won the bid over Istanbul 60-36 Saturday in the final secret voting round. Madrid was eliminated in an earlier round after being in a deadlock with Istanbul.
Madrid was reportedly hampered by questions over Spain’s economic crisis and Istanbul suffered because of the civil war in neighboring Syria. Tokyo appeared to have had the fewest risks.
“The certainty was a crucial factor — the certainty that they could deliver,” IOC vice president Craig Reedie of Britain said.
The last time Tokyo hosted the Summer Olympic Games was 1964.