IOC President Thomas Bach met with Japanese PM Shinzo Abe on Wednesday and "suggested staging some events for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the northeastern region of Japan hit by the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster," according to Jim Armstrong of the AP. Bach said that the IOC is considering holding some of the baseball and softball games in the affected areas as "one of the options." Fukushima is reportedly a "strong candidate." Baseball and softball were dropped from the Olympics after Beijing 2008 but are among five sports added to the program for the 2020 Games. Both are "very popular in Japan and an event in the disaster-affected areas could send a powerful message of reconstruction." Bach said that Abe "welcomed his proposal." Bach is in Japan "amid tension between Olympic organizers and Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, who is pushing to cut costs." The IOC has suggested the possibility of moving rowing to an existing site in South Korea "in case there is no resolution over the Japanese venue." Bach did not address reports of the rowing and canoe spring events "possibly being moved to South Korea" (AP, 10/19). The BBC reported several events have "already been moved outside of Tokyo, with cycling now due to take place 200km from the village in the Shizuoka district." Bach said that "he was confident cost reductions could be made," but suggested Tokyo should "try to stay close to its original bid proposal of keeping the majority of venues within 8km of the athlete's village in the city's downtown" (BBC, 10/19).
NOT ABOUT POLITICS: KYODO reported Bach said that he "thinks he sees eye to eye" with Koike and is not "expecting any issues" inside the four-party working group that will review costs for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics. Bach and Koike agreed a day earlier to "launch the group in conjunction with the Japanese government and the Tokyo Games organizing committee." But after their meeting, Koike said that "she wanted the panel to also include the international and national sporting federations." Asked about Koike's remarks, Bach, "who took all of one question from the media on Wednesday" when he visited the HQ of the organizing committee, "refused to comment." Bach said that the group "is not being formed to address people's political agendas." Bach: "We had this meeting yesterday and there was an agreement, but I will not comment on rumors or sentiments or feelings people may have now. ... This working group is not a political group. It is a team which will cooperate closely" (KYODO, 10/19).
