The TOKYO 2016 concept has three foundations:
1 The City is the Games: Tokyo plans to stage one of the most compact urban spectacles in the history of the Olympic Movement and uniquely in Olympic Games history, the city centre of Tokyo will become the "TOKYO 2016 Olympic Park".
2 Living the Games: The TOKYO 2016 venues will be organised into two highly compact, overlapping venue zones - The Tokyo Bay venue zone and The Heritage venue zone, containing venue clusters which, for the first time in Olympic Games history, will be themed around (and integrated) with major urban features.
3 Games at the Heart of Life: During the 2016 Games, where central Tokyo would be the Olympic Park, careful planning will allow the Olympic experience to permeate the city, home to about 8.5 million people. The Games will become an integrated part of the commercial and social fabric of the city.
Shintaro Ishihara, Governor of Tokyo and President of the TOKYO 2016 Bid Committee said: "The TOKYO 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games will demonstrate a new model for the world's largest event to be staged in the heart of a mature and contemporary urban metropolis. One of the real assets behind TOKYO 2016 is that we have a pre-existing 10-year city plan to achieve a sustainable future for Tokyo - 'Tokyo's Big Change' - which was published in 2006 and builds to 2016. This blueprint for sustainable development, combined with the policies, programmes, resources and political support captured in the TOKYO 2016 Games Plan will provide a powerful and reliable underpinning for success in organising and delivering the Olympic Games in 2016."
The "Olympic Experience" in Tokyo will be lifted to new heights by integrating the excitement of the Games with the excitement of Tokyo's urban life. CEO and Chairman, Dr Ichiro Kono commenting on the main aspects of the concept, said: “This is an historic day for Tokyo, Japan and the whole Olympic Movement. We have produced a blueprint for a truly urbanised Games. Our plan proves that a large city and the Games can not just co-exist but can form an integrated, dynamic and seamless experience for all to enjoy. This ensures a viable plan with a sustainable legacy for generations to come”.
Dr Kono said Tokyo’s – indeed Japan’s – motivation for hosting the 2016 Games “comes from a growing world trend: Japan is amongst the first and largest nations to experience the transition to high levels of urbanisation with an aging population contained within a mature economy. Nowhere typifies this more than Tokyo.
“We therefore need to not only navigate but shape this transition within our society and achieve economic, social and environmental sustainability. We firmly believe that the Olympic and Paralympic Games will act as a catalyst in helping Tokyo and Japan achieve this transition. We also believe that where we would lead, other nations and cities will want to follow. There can be no greater compliment to the Olympic Movement.”
Dr Kono picked out the creation of a model sports culture and infrastructure; the public awareness of, and participation in, Tokyo’s drive to protect and enhance the environment and the long-term improvement of the city environment through Games-related policy and programmes as key legacy benefits.
The IOC will carefully analyse the seven files and will announce at its Executive Board Meeting in Athens in June 2008, which of the seven cities has been selected – or short listed - as Candidate Cities for the next phase of the bid process.
