Tokyo 2020 bid CEO: Strengths are quality, safety

Published Apr. 16, 2013 9:47 a.m. ET

foxsports

Masato Mizuno, CEO of the Tokyo 2020 bid committee, says the city can guarantee ''quality and safety'' if it hosts the Olympic Games.

Tokyo is competing with Istanbul and Madrid for the hosting rights, which will be decided in September by the International Olympic Committee.

Mizuno, heir to the Mizuno sports goods empire, says Tokyo is emphasizing its strengths as a wealthy, developed capital city.

He notes Rio de Janeiro, host of the 2016 Games, is running ''very, very late'' in preparing for next year's World Cup.

Mizuno appealed to American and British executives attending a talk at the American Chamber of Commerce to help Tokyo's bid by reassuring people about issues like potential radiation risks from Japan's nuclear disaster.