Olympic Newsdesk: Japanese Joint Bid for 2020 Against IOC Rules

Olympic Newsdesk: Japanese Joint Bid for 2020 Against IOC Rules
10/13/2009

The joint bid proposal by Hiroshima and Nagasaki for the 2020 Olympic is impossible under IOC rules.

Gilbert Felli, the IOC's director for Olympic Games, told the Kyodo News Agency on Tuesday that only one city can make a bid for the games.

"The Olympic Charter clearly states only one city can host the Olympics. It does not allow two cities to co-host the games. At the moment, the answer is no," he said.

Felli did leave open the possibility that one city could host the games and the other could host the first stage of a sport such as football.

There is proposal to review bid policies but Felli said it is unlikely any change would happen before the official bid process for the 2020 Games starts in 2011. The IOC will select a host city for 2020 in 2013.

Hiroshima mayor Tadatoshi Akiba and Nagasaki mayor Tomihisa Taue announced the bid on Sunday, eight days after Tokyo's failed bid for the 2016 games. The mayors said they hope to use the Olympics to promote a nuclear free world and peace.

The mayors established a joint committee to study the game's feasibility.

The joint-bid proposal might have other obstacles besides the IOC's current rules. Distance is another factor with about 300 km separating Hiroshima and Nagasaki.