Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the only two cities to ever be victims of atomic bombings, soon hope to become the only two cities to ever co-host the Olympic Games.
The mayors of the two cities have made a joint bid for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games. The cities plan to team up and campaign on a message centered on world peace.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recently made history by awarding Rio de Janeiro the 2016 Olympic Games, making it the first-ever South American city to host the event. But will the committee bend the rules and allow two cities to co-host the event?
Currently, the Olympic Charter explicitly states that only one city can host the Olympics. Even though a proposal to review bid policies is being considered, IOC officials say it is unlikely any changes will take effect in time for Hiroshima and Nagasaki to take a shot at the 2020 games.
IOC officials did say that if one of the cities was chosen to host the games, the other could still hold a few of the smaller, preliminary stages of events.
Even though the outlook seems grim, the cities will continue to push to bring the games to Japan.
The 2020 games are of particular importance to Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba and Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Tau, who are the founding members of the Mayors for Peace 2020 Vision Campaign, a group that aims to rid the world of all nuclear weapons by the year 2020. The mayors envision the 2020 Olympics in Hiroshima and Nagasaki being a celebration of this (admittedly unlikely) achievement.
Before their bid reaches the IOC, Hiroshima and Nagasaki first have to impress the Japanese Olympic Committee. Only one city from each country can make a bid.
Tokyo, which was a finalist to host the 2016 Olympics, may still try to make another go at it for 2020.
Read more about travel to Japan in our Japan Travel section.
Even though the Japanese Olympic Committee has praised Hiroshima and Nagasaki for their concept of world peace, it expressed concerns over geographical and logistical challenges. The two cities are on separate islands and roughly 183 miles apart.
Cities officially begin the bidding process for the 2020 Summer Olympics in 2011, and then the IOC will select a host in 2013.
Istanbul, Budapest and Delhi are among other cities that have already expressed their intentions to make a bid at the 2020 Olympic Games.
By Dan Bence for PeterGreenberg.com.
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