International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge of Belgium speaks during a news conference in Buenos Aires, Sept. 4, 2013.Madrid has been eliminated in dramatic fashion from the race to host the 2020 Olympic Games after the first round of voting by International Olympic Committee (IOC) members in Buenos Aires.
The Spanish capital was eliminated Saturday in the first round of voting by the International Olympics Committee. Istanbul and Tokyo are still up for the coveted hosting honor.
The International Olympic Committee began voting after final presentations in Argentina\’s capital, Buenos Aires. The final choice is expected later Saturday.
The race is tight, with both remaining cities carrying major risks.
Political instability in Turkey\’s neighbor Syria presents issues for Istanbul\’s bid while the Japanese capital faces concerns about the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.
Madrid, now eliminated, is weighed down by financial troubles.
All three finalists had made Olympic bids before. This is the fifth for Istanbul, the third in a row for Madrid and the second in a row for Tokyo, which hosted the Games in 1964.
Top officials from each country joined the final presentations to better each city\’s chances of hosting the world\’s largest sporting event. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his counterparts Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Mariano Rajoy of Spain flew to Buenos Aires straight from the just-concluded G20 summit in Russia.
Hosting the Olympics can be a huge boost for a city, bringing in massive amounts of tourism revenue and creating an opportunity for a prominent place on the world stage.
Source: Agencies
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