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Posted at 2:55 a.m., Friday, January 9, 2009

Olympics: Tokyo's 2016 venues approved by sports federations

Associated Press

TOKYO — Tokyo's proposed venues for the 2016 Olympics have been approved by all 26 participating international sports federations, the Tokyo bid committee said Friday.

The 26 federations signed off on the operational aspects for their respective sports and the logistics required for each competition venue, the Tokyo 2016 bid committee said in a statement.

"We are pleased to have developed a plan that suits their needs and will provide great exposure for each of their sports," said Tokyo 2016 sports director Toru Hirakata.

With 95 percent of the venues within a 5-mile radius, Tokyo has proposed a compact Games, using many facilities that were built for the 1964 Olympics. Five new venues will be built, each with a sustainable post-Games business plan.

Tokyo is competing with Chicago, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro to host the 2016 Summer Games. All candidate cities will submit their final bids to the International Olympic Committee by Feb. 12.

The IOC will select the host city on Oct. 2 in Copenhagen, Denmark.