Turkey: Beijing Deserves Olympic GamesTurkey on Friday congratulated Beijing for winning the 2008 Olympics bid and said the Chinese capital deserved its victory to host the most prestigious sports event in the world.Beijing was awarded the right to host the 2008 Games in the second round of voting, defeating four other cities including Istanbul. "It was an expected decision and an objective outcome," Turkish Sports Minister Fikret Unlu was quoted as saying by Anatolia news agency. Japanese Government Regrets Over Osaka's Failure in Olympic BidThe Japanese government expressed regret over Osaka's failure in its 2008 Olympic bid while congratulating Beijing's success."It is regrettable that Japan's enthusiasm was not reflected in the voting by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). We will cooperate with the Chinese government as much as possible for the Games' success," Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said. "As a neighboring country in Japan, Japan expresses its congratulations on the selection of Beijing and sincerely hopes that the Beijing Olympics will be successful," she added. Toronto Bid Officials Not SurprisedToronto Olympic bid officials admitted Friday night that Beijing's sweeping win didn't surprise them.Beijing won the right to host the 2008 Olympic Games when it claimed a majority 56 votes in the second round of the ballot during the International Olympic Committee's 112th Session. |
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