Rio's "complicated Games" have been praised by IOC President Thomas Bach, though chiefly for the "iconic" sporting moments that were produced in Brazil, according to Samantha Lane of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD.
Bach "did not hesitate when asked in his day-before-closing ceremony review whether, knowing what they knew now, the IOC would have selected economically-challenged Rio if he could turn back time." Bach said, "Yes." The first South American city to host a Games "has grappled with key components of staging the mass sporting show, from transport to filling stadiums." Bach "opened his review by focusing on the athletic performances produced." He "singled out Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes for glowing praise" and said, "The Brazilians were great hosts and really united behind these Olympic Games." Bach insisted, "There is no public money in the organization of these Olympic Games. The budget of the organizing committee is privately financed. Imagine where Rio would be without this long term development program?" (SMH, 8/21).
TOKYO'S TURN: KYODO reported even though Bach thinks that the Rio 2016 Olympic Games have been "iconic" in many aspects, he said that "Tokyo needs to strike out on its own path toward a Games that are uniquely Japanese and will reflect the culture of the country as host." Bach "hailed the first Games to be held in South America as being sustained by the joy of life of the Brazilians." Bach said that Japan "needs to take heed, and to prepare a Games that do not simply replicate what has gone before." Bach: "Organizing a successful Games means always being authentic, not taking a blueprint from other Games, not thinking you should copy something" (KYODO, 8/21). KYODO also reported on the eve of the closing ceremony of the 2016 Rio Olympics, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike said one of the main objectives of Tokyo 2020 will be to ensure a lasting legacy while not burdening taxpayers with "white elephants." Koike, the Japanese capital's first female governor, said Tokyo 2020 is committed under the Olympic charter to be "faster, higher, and stronger," but also be cleaner and more transparent, with the "key word being sustainability" for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. Koike said, "As the Tokyo governor, I came here to see in what way Rio is carrying out a cost-effective Games, and take great interest in this to get the understanding of the taxpayers of Tokyo." Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee CEO Toshiro Muto said that Tokyo "will work to cut costs, which have come under scrutiny with the addition of five additional sports, including baseball and softball, with 18 new events as part of the 2020 agenda." Muto also said that "the city was preparing ways to handle the intense summer heat" (KYODO, 8/21).
NOT RESPONSIBLE: REUTERS' Karolos Grohmann wrote the IOC said that Russian whistleblower Yulia Stepanova "may be in danger after her revelations on doping in her country that triggered a massive scandal and forced her to flee," but it is not the IOC's responsibility. Stepanova "helped uncover a state-backed and systematic doping program that saw more than 100 Russian athletes banned from the Olympics." She "was then forced to go into hiding in the United States with husband Vitaly, a former Russian anti-doping official." Bach, responding to a question about a perceived lack of support from the IOC for Stepanova, said, "I have to reject this. We are not responsible for dangers to which Ms. Stepanova may be exposed" (REUTERS, 8/20).
