The International Olympic Committee awarded Tokyo the 2020 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games on Sept. 7.
Tokyo defeated Istanbul in the final IOC vote, 60-36. Madrid, Spain, was also in the running to host the Games and was eliminated in the first round of voting. Tokyo hosted the 1964 Olympic Games as well.
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“Congratulations to the city of Tokyo on its election as host of the 2020 Olympic Games,” said IOC President Jacques Rogge. “Tokyo presented a very strong technical bid from the outset—and it needed to in competition with two such high caliber bids from Istanbul and Madrid. All three cities were capable of staging excellent Games in 2020, but in the end it was Tokyo’s bid that resonated the most with the IOC membership, inviting us to ‘discover tomorrow’ by delivering a well-organized and safe Games that will reinforce the Olympic values while demonstrating the benefits of sport to a new generation.”
In 1964, the equestrian events were held about 90 miles from Tokyo in Karuizawa, Japan, but plans for the 2020 equestrian events haven’t been announced yet.
