Sapporo, Japan, which hosted the 1972 Winter Olympics, is "preparing to bid for the games again as it taps facilities used on the previous occasion amid a surge in visitors to its resorts in Hokkaido, northern Japan." Sapporo city government official Tadakatsu Sato said, "We will present the bid to the Japanese Olympic Committee after the summer when the Rio Olympics and Para-Olympic games are over." The city predicts it may cost as much as 456.5B yen ($4.3B) "to host the games and is planning to have 90 percent of the facilities within half an hour of the Olympic village" (BLOOMBERG, 5/17).
IOC member Tsunekazu Takeda, who "headed Tokyo's winning bid" for the 2020 Games, has refused to reveal details of a suspect $2M contract with Singaporean company Black Tidings to the Japanese Parliament. Takeda, who is also president of the Japanese Olympic Committee, said that the contract was "confidential so he couldn't disclose it without the approval of the other party." Japanese Olympics Minister Toshiaki Endo has, however, "urged the involved parties to explain the issue to the public." He said, "I understand there is a matter of confidentiality but we would like for them to investigate this issue ... and handle it in a way that could gain understanding from the people of Japan" (London GUARDIAN, 5/17).
Boxing promoter Bob Arum has slammed as "total madness" a proposal to allow professional boxers to fight against amateurs in the Rio Olympics. Arum believes boxers "could be seriously hurt if the plan by the sport’s governing body, the International Boxing Association (AIBA), goes ahead." Arum said, "To have guys who are experienced professional fighters against these amateurs, you’re looking at serious, serious injuries. It’s total madness. This is not like basketball where all you do is lose, a guy dunks over you, or baseball or other sports like that. This is a hard sport and guys can get hurt" (AFP, 5/17).
