By Emily Gu
In 2020, Tokyo was supposed to host the Olympics, but due to the pandemic, they were cancelled. Fortunately, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics have simply been moved to this year, 2021.
About 50 years ago, the Olympics were also hosted by Tokyo. The specific year was 1964.
Since the cities are usually chosen 7 years beforehand, Tokyo was selected in 2013. The process for becoming a host is actually quite competitive. The major cities around the world would make bids to the IOC, or the International Olympic Committee.
The bids are simply plans, which outline why they want to host the Olympics, and how they will succeed and be capable enough. This includes the plans of finances, venues, security, transportation, the effects on the environment and more.
Eligible cities need to be able to hold large crowds of people, including athletes, journalists and the fans. Then the cities go through a thorough inspection so the IOC is sure that it would be okay. This inspection is very detailed, so it takes 10 months, which is still surprisingly long.
If they pass the first few requirements, they become a candidate city.
After the bids have all been presented to them, along with a $150,00 fee, members in the IOC would vote to choose the winning host.
When Japan had made their bid, their organizers said that the games would have a costly fee around $7 billion. Although at that time, Japan had already spent $15 billion.
While this seems much for a 16-day event, the cities all hope they can earn it back through marketing, tourism, and the creation of jobs.
The 1964 Tokyo games were also the first to be broadcasted live by satellite. It was a revolutionary time for both Japan and their athletes.