TOKYO AND HELSINKI WILL BE THE PLACES OF THE XII OLYMPIC GAMES

After the meeting in Berlin last Thursday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided that best cities for the XII edition of the Olympic Games were Tokyo and Helsinki. "These two large cities have spectacular conditions and have enough facilities to play sports. I think it has being a very good decision" said Johnson Garrett; member of the International Olympic Committee.

At the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in 1932, the Japanese mayor, with the support of the Japanese Government, asked the Japanese members of the International Olympic Committee, Jigorō Kanō and Seiichi Kishi, to recommend the capital as the venue for the Games Olympic Games of 1940. Tokyo has planned a program that would begin the 21 of September with the opening ceremony and would end the 6 of October. It is planned to use the Meiji Jingu Gaien Stadium, home of the 1930 Far East Games, as an Olympic stadium, which would also concentrate the swimming venues in its vicinity.

With the possible resignation of Tokyo as the main venue, the International Olympic Committee has selected in Helsinki, the capital of Finland, as an alternative venue. Johan Wilhelm Rangell has played an important role in the election, thanks to his connections with the IOC. In less than two years, the new headquarters have to expand the hotel capacity to accommodate the approximately 160,000 people who would come, and there is scope for alternative measures such as housing in private homes offered by volunteers. In addition, an Olympic Village in the vicinity of Helsinki is going to be built.

The organizing committee has already made public the program of the Games in Helsinki, which will begin on 20 July with an opening ceremony, and conclude on 4 August. The Olympic Stadium in Helsinki will be the centre of athletic activities. The government of Finland contemplates the introduction of the non-motorized flight as an Olympic discipline.

Álvaro García Pérez