Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes and Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike took part in the "official handing over of the Olympic flag" at the conclusion of last night's Closing Ceremony, according to Nate Scott of USA TODAY. After Koike "waved the flag, the crowd stood for the national anthem of Japan." A Japanese flag was then "superimposed on the floor of Maracana Stadium" (USA TODAY, 8/22). The AP's Elaine Kurtenbach reports Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's "brief but showstopping gig" during the Closing Ceremony as Nintendo game character Super Mario "offered a tantalizing glimpse at Tokyo's plans" for the '20 Games. Tokyo officials "crammed the works into a brief two-minute film montage before Abe's appearance: athletes participating in more than a dozen sports, as iconic Japanese images like Tokyo Tower, cherry blossoms, a bullet train, Tokyo Bay Bridge and the famous 'scramble' intersection in Shibuya whiz by." Anime and video game characters "including Pac Man and Hello Kitty are featured, along with the beloved blue Doraemon cat, who pulls from his pocket of magic gadgets a green warp pipe to whisk Abe, transformed briefly into Super Mario, from his limousine in Tokyo straight to Rio." Abe "emerges atop the 'pipe' in a big red Super Mario cap and costume, holding a glowing red ball kicked to him by" animated soccer character Captain Tsubasa (AP, 8/22).
TOKYO DRIFT: The AFP's Hiroshi Hiyama wrote though Japan's road to the '20 Games has been "marred by its own share of embarrassments, the feeling is that Tokyo's woes pale in comparison to those" of Rio's. The '20 Games were "awarded on expectations that Tokyo would be a model of efficiency, with the city touting itself as 'peaceful, reliable, safe, and stable.'" Tokyo also "boasts advantages that Rio ... just doesn't have." Tokyo is the capital of the world's "third-largest economy" and is a center of "advanced high-tech efficiency." The city also has hosted the '64 Games and jointly hosted the World Cup with South Korea in '02. However, since being awarded the Games three years ago, Tokyo's bid has "faced a series of problems, including being forced to redesign its stadium, over costs, and the official logo amid allegations of plagiarism." Koike, who was elected in July, has "ordered officials to rein in ballooning costs" (AFP, 8/21). In Japan, Andrew McKirdy notes Tokyo's "summer heat" could impact athletes if organizers "follow the same competition schedule as some previous Olympics held in East Asia." The finals of the track and field events at the '88 Seoul Games were "held during the blistering afternoon heat to accommodate the wishes of American TV networks" Japan Olympic Committee President Tsunekazu Takeda "admits he is unable to make any promises" for '20 (JAPAN TIMES, 8/22).
EYES ON PYEONGCHANG: NBCNEWS.com's Bill Neely wrote with the Olympics' focus now shifts to an "unprecedented series of spectacles in East Asia." In addition to Tokyo hosting the '20 Games, the next two Winter Games will be in PyeongChang ('18) and Beijing ('22). PyeongChang is "determined to make their Games memorable." POCOG President Lee Hee-Beom said, "All the venues will be ready by the end of October this year. We will be ready to host a historic Games." Neely noted South Korea will spend $13B, nearly four times "less than Russia spent on the Sochi Olympics, the most expensive in history." POCOG hopes "new roads and venues will make the mountainous area in Korea's East a magnet for tourists and skiers from across Asia." The facilities "rising fast from Korea's red earth are all within 30 minutes of each other, as Korea aims to hold the most compact and athlete-friendly Games to date" (NBCNEWS.com, 8/21). Neely noted one problem PyeongChang faces is that it "doesn't get much" snow. Lee said, "Even without snow from the sky, we will make snow" ("Nightly News," NBC, 8/21). Meanwhile, the AP's Christopher Bodeen noted preparations for PyeongChang have been "noticeably less smooth" than when Seoul hosted the '88 Games. POCOG is "struggling with construction delays, local conflicts over venue construction and difficulties attracting domestic sponsorships." Such problems were "easily avoided 30 years ago when the country's then-military dictatorship steamrolled any opposition." However, six new competition venues are about 80% complete, and a "new high-speed rail line, designed to link the country's main gateway of Incheon airport with Pyeongchang in 90 minutes, will be up and running" by January '18. Despite a slow start, POCOG said that 90% of the domestic sponsorship target of $760M will "be met at the end of the year, when another round of test events will begin at Olympic venues" (AP, 8/21).
CALIFORNIA CRUISIN': CBS' Ben Tracy noted L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti was in Rio "to convince Olympic officials his city should play host" to the Games in '24. Garcetti said, "We know we can do a Games that would be profitable, just like they were in 1984." He added L.A. "won't build things for the Olympics and hope that they benefit the people of L.A." Garcetti: "We're building things for the people of L.A. already and we hope that they will benefit the Olympics in turn" ("CBS This Morning," 8/22). Meanwhile, in L.A., David Wharton noted while Garcetti and LA 2024 Chair Casey Wasserman have served "as the face" of the city's campaign for the '24 Games, LA 2024 consultants Doug Arnot and Bill Hanway have done the "grunt work" in Rio. The consultants for the past two weeks have "slogged through traffic and stood in hallways, waiting to meet with the international federations that govern each sport at these Summer Games." Arnot and Hanway must "strike a measured tone in making the case" that L.A. "would be a fitting host for the Olympics." Rio's problems have "played into L.A.'s campaign as a safe choice, a metropolis with world-class venues and experience in hosting big events." But "conveying this message to leaders of sports such as judo, gymnastics and volleyball -- who hold sway in the Olympic world -- has been tricky." Wharton noted if Arnot and Hanway were to "dwell too long on Rio's foibles or how L.A. might do better, it could alienate federation executives who supported bringing the Games to South America for the first time" (L.A. TIMES, 8/21).
