Tokyo will be the host of the 2020 Olympic Games after beating two strong candidates Istanbul and Madrid after two rounds of voting during the 125th IOC session in Buenos Aires on Saturday. Istanbul would have been the first time that a primarily Muslim country would host the Olympics, while Tokyo is the first Asian city to host it twice. Tokyo last hosted the Games in 1964. IOC President Jacques Rogge also declared his retirement at the end of the session after 12 years at the helm of the Olympic movement. The election of the ninth IOC president was scheduled for 10 September. Tokyo received 60 votes while Istanbul's garnered only 36 votes in the final round. In the first round, Tokyo took 42 votes, Istanbul 26 votes and Madrid 26 votes. Istanbul was eliminated in the first round of balloting. Madrid and Istanbul were tied in a tie-breaker; Istanbul took 49 votes over Madrid which received only 45 votes. All three cities were repeat bidders. Tokyo had attempted twice in the last two bids, while Istanbul has now failed in five attempts. Madrid attempted three straight times to win the Games. Spanish officials said 80 per cent of Madrid's venues were already built and in use with a construction budget of just £1.3bn – London's comparable cost was £9bn. The Spanish capital's presentation - which featured former Olympic sailor Crown Prince Felipe - had emphasised providing a “sensible, reliable and trustworthy” Olympics but ongoing worries about the economy undermined the bid. The ongoing war in neighbouring Syria had complicated Turkey's bid for hosting the 2020 Olympics. The armed conflict has driven over two million Syrian refugees into neighbouring countries, including Turkey, and has claimed the lives of over 100,000 people. Turkey was also rocked by huge protest movements in the summer against the government which did not help present a climate of stability, a crucial element in any Olympics. Tokyo appeared the favourite and least risky choice. It had been on the defensive in the final days of the campaign because of mounting concerns over the leak of radioactive water from the tsunami-crippled Fukushima nuclear plant. In the final presentation, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gave the IOC assurances that the Fukushima leak was not a threat to Tokyo and took personal responsibility for keeping the Games safe. The Japanese capital hosted the Games in 1964, a point which the country's delegation referenced in its strengths as a host. Meanwhile, wrestling has been reinstated as an Olympic sport for the 2020 and 2024 Games after being voted in ahead of baseball/softball and squash. Wrestling received the IOC's members majority of votes in the first round. The results of the vote: wrestling 49 votes out of 95 votes. Baseball/softball took 24 votes and squash had only 22 votes. The world of wrestling had been stunned earlier this year by the decision made by the IOC to perhaps remove wrestling from the 2020 Summer Olympic Games. The decision, taken at the IOC's Executive Board meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland on 12 February, made way for golf and rugby to join the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. Golf and rugby sevens were added in 2009 as additional sports to the 2016 and 2020 Olympic programme. Wrestling was among the short-listed sports including baseball/softball and squash for possible inclusion as additional sport for the 2020 and 2024 editions of the Games. During its meeting at the 125th IOC session, the full IOC members agreed on the 25 core sports for the 2020 Summer Games -- shooting, athletics, rowing, badminton, basketball, boxing, canoeing, cycling, equestrian, fencing, football, gymnastics, weightlifting, handball, hockey, judo, aquatics, modern pentathlon, taekwondo, tennis, table tennis, archery, triathlon, sailing and volleyball. The Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA) made a presentation to the Session, along with the International Federations of baseball/softball (WBSC) and squash (WSF) were shortlisted by the IOC Executive Board in May to be put forward to the Session following an extensive evaluation by the Olympic Programme Commission.
