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The field of candidates for the 2020 Summer Olympics could bereduced from five to three, with Doha and Baku in danger of missingthe cut. Tokyo, Istanbul and Madrid look certain to make the list when theInternational Olympic Committee executive board announces the groupof finalists on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. ET in Quebec City. Whether the IOC keeps all five cities or pares the list to four orthree remains the issue, a tricky choice at a time of globaleconomic and political uncertainty. "Risk is part of the assessment political risk, economic risk,"IOC board member Denis Oswald said Tuesday. Madrid is bidding for a third consecutive time, Tokyo a second timein a row and Istanbul a fifth time overall. Doha, capital of the Gulf state of Qatar, and Baku, capital of theformer Soviet republic of Azerbaijan, are back after failing tomake the shortlist for the 2016 Games and face the most scrutinyagain. The cities selected Wednesday will go forward to the final phase, a17-month race that will end with a secret vote by the full IOC inBuenos Aires in September 2013. The 15-member executive board, headed by IOC President JacquesRogge, will choose the finalists after examining a technicalevaluation report compiled by a panel of Olympic experts. IOC Vice-President Thomas Bach called it "the most difficultdecision we have ever had to take with regard to a shortlist." The dynamics of the race changed dramatically when Rome, considereda potential 2020 favourite, pulled out of the bidding in Februaryafter the Italian government declined to provide financialguarantees at a time of economic austerity. If there is a cut Wednesday, Baku is expected to be eliminatedfirst. If the IOC decides to keep four cities, Doha would be safe.If it's three finalists, Doha would likely be dropped. Baku is seen as lacking in experience in hosting internationalsports events and officials believe it's too soon for the city tobe considered a viable contender. Questions over heat Qatar is already hosting the 2022 World Cup, but faces questionsover the heat, the timing and other issues for the Olympics. TheIOC agreed to let Doha bid based on Qatar's proposal to hold thegames from Oct. 2-18 to avoid the brutal summer heat, but officialsremains concerned about the weather, conditions for athletes andpotential conflicts with television and other sports events goingon during that time of year. Doha, saying it's bidding for the entire Middle East, insists ithas the backing of international sports federations for its Octoberproposal. "We have done all that was requested from the internationalfederations and the IOC," Qatar Olympic Committee secretary generalSaoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said Tuesday. "We have communicatedwith them. We are confident that we fulfil all the requirements. Wejust have to wait for their decision." Madrid is bidding against the backdrop of Spain's financial crisis,something the IOC said it will take into account. Madrid bid leader Alejandro Blanco said the city would go thedistance until the vote in Buenos Aires, brushing off suggestionsthat it could drop out as "rumours" spread by rivals. He insistedthe Spanish government fully backs the project and said the gameswould be a catalyst for economic recovery. "The economy is not a problem only for Madrid," Blanco said. "Thecrisis is global. History shows it's impossible to always be in apeak economic situation. There are always ups and downs. We aretalking about 2020. Things can only go up." Tokyo is bidding in the aftermath of last year's earthquake andtsunami disaster. "We need something to lift up the country," said Tsunekazu Takeda,president of the Japanese Olympic Committee. "The games will helpre-energize the people." Istanbul bid official Hasan Arat insisted the Olympics is Turkey'smain priority. The country is also bidding for football's 2020European Championship, but the IOC has said Turkey can't do both. "For Turkey, hosting the games has always been the ultimate prize,"Arat said. "Every level of government is right behind us. ...Turkey has never been more serious about hosting the games, and wehave never been more ready to host the games.". I am an expert from cellphone-replacement-parts.com, while we provides the quality product, such as IPhone 4S Silicone Cases , China IPod Touch Screen Repairs, Apple IPad Spare Parts,and more.
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