2020 Olympic Candidate Cities Try To Make An Impression In London

The three candidates still in the race to host the 2020 Summer Games are "gearing up" to make an impression in the British capital, according to the AFP. Tokyo, Istanbul and Madrid will learn their fate in Buenos Aires on Sep. 13, 2013, when IOC members vote. Tokyo is the only one of the three to have previously hosted the Games back in '64. But perhaps another more powerful argument in their favor is that IOC members "may be swayed into voting for the Japanese bid" after the quake-tsunami disaster, which left about 19,000 people dead or missing last year. An IOC source said, "It is a powerful argument, IOC members like a story and also are especially keen on the legacy message" (AFP, 7/23). Tokyo 2020 launched its official campaign tagline "Discover Tomorrow," which reflects two key elements of the bid and Tokyo: global inspiration and dynamic innovation. Japan Sport Council, owners of the iconic National Stadium, announced the launch of an int'l design competition to update and remodel the venue in preparation for Tokyo's 2020 Olympic and Paralympic bid (Tokyo 2020).

ISTANBUL UNVEILS LOGO: GAMESBIDS.com reported that the Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan "unveiled Istanbul's logo" for the candidate phase of its bid for the '20 Summer Olympics. Voted for by the people of Turkey, it combines the flower of Istanbul, a tulip, with the city's world-famous skyline. The inspiration behind the new logo design comes from the bridge that Istanbul forms between Europe and Asia, with the bottom half of the flower representing Asia and the top half showing Europe (GAMESBIDS.com, 7/22).