Asia Olympic Council supports Tokyo’s bid to host 2016 Summer Games

Asia Olympic Council backs Tokyo’s 2016 bid

SINGAPORE — The Olympic Council of Asia has endorsed the bid of Tokyo to host the Summer Games in 2016.

“Asia will always support any city from Asia,” Kuwait’s Ahmad Fahad al-Sabah, the council president, said after a general assembly meeting in Singapore. “They’re doing a great job making progress toward a successful bid.”

Tokyo, which hosted the 1964 Olympics, is competing against Chicago, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro.

“We’re very happy and very grateful for the support,” said Tsunekazu Takeda, president of the Japanese Olympic Committee. “We’re planning a new stadium and facilities, but we have a lot of legacy from the 1964 Games.”