On Jan. 7, Tokyo put in its bid to host the 2020 summer Olympic Games. So did Madrid and Istanbul. Who wins the coveted bid will not be known until September. But consider some of the barriers to Tokyo winning. First, Tokyo needs to garner more public support, meaning they'll need to get the population collectively salivating at the chance to hold the games. Second, many people feel Japan should instead be committing itself to speeding up the lymphatic government cleanup and rebuilding of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami disaster area.
Face it, Tokyo is going to have to do something special, jump through a few hoops, to win the 2020 games. And I have the solution. It will get the country drooling for the chance to hold the games and will put Tohoku on the fast track to get rebuilt. This is what Japan needs to do: Hold the first-ever Canine Olympics.
This event would be held in Tohoku the week leading up to the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. In a country with more pets than children, and with a pet industry estimated to be worth $10 billion, the number of dog lovers alone (gleaned from the sales of poodle outfits and doggie baskets for bicycles), would skyrocket public support from the current 60 percent to near-frenzy levels. In addition, it would put Tohoku on a seven-year timeline to be completely rebuilt, compatible with IOC (International Olympic Canine) standards: Spacious parks with shade trees, water features and fire hydrants; a state of the art athletes' village; and venues for sporting events such as swimming, Frisbee and fetch.