Seasoned observers are pretty sure that Tokyo could stage the Olympic Games, and stage them well, dpa reported. But following the Fukushima nuclear crisis two years ago, there is of course a pressing question - is there a danger of radiation? Japanese bid officials stress there's no problem - but it's clearly not something they're too keen to talk about. The International Olympic Committee's key vote on who will host the 2020 Olympics - Tokyo, Madrid or Istanbul - comes on Saturday. On Thursday, the Japanese bid was presented to reporters by an impressive line-up of 14 former Olympians. But none of them got to say how they felt about radiation leaks from the Fukushima nuclear plant, or how they could reassure fellow sports people from around the globe that they faced no health risks. That's because representatives systematically deflected such questions to more senior spokesmen - former sports stars turned politicians. "There is no issue regarding health," said Hiroshi Hase, a Los Angeles 1984 Olympic wrestler, who is now a member of the Japanese parliament. "The radiation level has no impact on the health of people at all," he said. However, the issue remains a major one. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was expected in Buenos Aires early on Friday, for a full day of lobbying ahead of the crucial vote. Japanese bid officials and athletes alike will be happy to let their prime minister address the Fukushima problem. In the meantime, Fukushima looms over the public appearances of the Japanese representatives, like some kind of a ghost that no one wants to talk about. They'd rather talk about sport - understandably. "There is a real buzz, an enormously strong feeling of unity within our team, and a great excitement building about presenting our Games vision," said double silver medallist fencer Yuki Ota. -- SPA 21:10 LOCAL TIME 18:10 GMT تغريد
