The International Olympic Committee held its 125th meeting to announce the host city of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Buenos Aires today. The race was tied between Madrid, Tokyo, and Istanbul, with the Japanese capital emerging as the winner. Its delegates were understandably thrilled. Below are some photos of Tokyo's representative laughing, crying, and generally breathing a sigh of relief at hearing the big news. It'll warm your heart to see them, especially since it's likely their last day off before the seven years of planning begins tomorrow. The shots of Team Istanbul are a little sadder. Tokyo was selected Saturday to host the 2020 Summer Olympics in what was considered a safe rather than transformative choice in a time of political and economic uncertainity around the globe. "When I heard the name Tokyo, I was so touched, overwhelmed," said Shinzo Abe, Japan's prime minister. "The joy was even greater than when I won my own election."
For the International Olympic Committee, environmental concerns in Japan appeared less urgent than the Syrian war on Turkey's border, a harsh crackdown against antigovernment protesters recently in Istanbul and Spain's economic recession and high unemployment. The Olympic movement has also been buffeted by protests in Brazil over heavy government spending for the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, to be held in Rio de Janeiro. And there has been criticism of what the West considers antigay legislation passed in Russia ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics in the Black Sea resort city Sochi, a Games that will come with a $50 billion price tag. Amid such economic, political and human rights maelstroms, Tokyo was seen as a calm harbor. It won handily over Istanbul in the second round of voting, 60-36, in a secret ballot of Olympic delegates. Tokyo presented its bid as a "safe pair of hands," an appeal that clearly resonated with Olympic officials. The world's top athletes will be safe, he pledged before the IOC's final vote on Saturday in Buenos Aires. It is immoral to invite the Olympic Games to Japan where the health environment cannot be secured," said Mitsuhei Murata, a former Japanese ambassador to Switzerland. Achieving those reams, however, will not come cheap. Tokyo has promised to build 22 of the 37 Olympic venues from scratch, and spend $1bn refurbishing its 1964 Olympic stadium. The total estimated price tag Y409 bn (E26bn), which the government hopes to offset with a Y3trn Olympic windfall. That assessment is almost certainly optimistic. Every Games since 1960 has overrun its budget. The budget issue is likely to loom large: Japan's public debt surpassed Y1 quadrillion last month, equal to the economies of Great Britain, Germany and France combined. Public indifference and fear of incurring more debt helped sink Tokyo's bid for the 2016 Olympics four years ago. It took the 11 march triple disaster to rekindle Tokyo's passion for the Olympics. The government will be hoping that passion does not fade before 2020..