Tokyo's 2016 bid suffers early setback

TOKYO, Oct 19 (Reuters) Tokyo's bid to stage the 2016 Olympics has suffered a setback after it was told not to appoint the head of sports goods maker Mizuno as a key campaigner.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Jacques Rogge said today that to name Masato Mizuno as secretary general of Tokyo's bidding committee would be a conflict of interests.

The 63-year-old Mizuno has served on the IOC sports and environment commission while his company is a major Olympic sponsor.

Mizuno declined to accept the post in order to avoid controversy.

''There is a confict of interests,'' Rogge told reporters.

''Sponsors of the IOC should remain neutral to competition between candidates. I congratulated him on his wise decision.'' Rogge called Tokyo a ''candidate with great potential'' along with rival bidders Rio de Janeiro, Madrid, Rome, New Delhi and a city from the United States yet to be decided.

''Japan has proven able to organise major events with great security,'' Rogge said, referring to Japan's joint staging of the 2002 soccer World Cup with South Korea.

''The other candidates have exactly the same strength. It is going to be very interesting.'' Tokyo beat southern city Fukuoka in the race to become Japan's 2016 candidate. The IOC will formally announce the venue for the Games in 2009. London will host the 2012 Olympics.

Japan hosted the Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 1964 and staged the Winter Olympics in Sapporo in 1972 and Nagano in 1998.

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