Hiroshima, Nagasaki to pitch for 2020 Olympics

[demoleft]

TOKYO – Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the victims of the only atomic bombings in history, are teaming up to try to bring the Olympics to Japan in 2020, the cities' mayors said Sunday.

Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba and Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue told a press conference they will establish a joint committee to work on a proposal based on world peace.

Both men are founding members of the Mayors for Peace 2020 Vision Campaign, which advocates for a global ban on nuclear arms. In a speech last month in Mexico City, Akiba said he firmly believed the world could abolish nuclear weapons by 2020 and suggested holding the Olympics that year in Hiroshima and Nagasaki to celebrate.
...
Other cities that have expressed interest in the 2020 Olympics include Istanbul, Budapest and Delhi. A host city is expected to be named in 2013.

source: AP, http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091011/ap_on_re_as/as_japan_hiroshima_olympics

[Craftsman]

1. It ought to be a huge blast.

[DaveinJapan]

2. classy. nt

[Zix]

4. That's not really going to get us anywhere, is it?

[armyowalgreens]

9. gross.

[dmallind]

3. Now that's an early favorite bid. Who could resist? NT

[Mari333]

5. I hope it happens.

Eyes of the world should be on those cities. The USA always needs a mirror of self reflection, painful as it is.

[Renew Deal]

6. Hopefully NY is back in the game.

:bounce:

[KharmaTrain]

8. Not In 2020

After picking Rio for 2016, the IOC will hold won't hold the 2020 games in the western hemisphere. I'd like to see an African city bid for those games, but Japan does stand a strong chance as they haven't had the games since 1964.

The next US shot comes in 2024...and from what I'm hearing here, Chicago isn't interested in waiting that long (Rich Daley would be in his 80s). The planning and bidding won't begin until 2017.

[Renew Deal]

7. .

[spinbaby]

10. I don't know how that would work out

Although I remember Hiroshima as a wonderful, vibrant city, it was solid urban sprawl jammed between the sea and the mountains. I can't imagine how many people you'd have to dislocate to accommodate the Olympics. Come to think of it, I can't imagine how they could have done it in Tokyo, either.

[surrealAmerican]

11. They're delusional.

There is no chance of nuclear weapons being abolished by 2020, regardless of how nice a goal that may be.