The International Olympic Committee (IOC) warned Tokyo 2016 in a written statement in December about an alleged violation by Brazil-based Japanese personnel of a bidding rule, reports Kyodo News. The warning came after Japanese diplomatic personnel asked Brazilian Olympic Committee (BOC) President Carlos Arthur Nuzman about the benefits of having Rio de Janeiro hosting the 2016 Games and why the city is bidding only two years after the 2014 World Cup soccer finals in Brazil.
The BOC informed the IOC, saying the comments must be against IOC regulations.
Tokyo 2016 officials, while accepting the warning, are insisting their activities won’t be affected.
Tokyo’s bid committee chairman Ichiro Kono told reporters, “we accept this warning solemnly. But it is unlikely to have any influence on our bidding activities”.
He added, “nothing what happened exceeded the limits of what is socially acceptable. We intend to carry on our activities as normal”.
The IOC has demanded that the seven cities bidding for the 2016 Games remain objective and respect the other candidates.
