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WORLD CUP COUNTDOWN

Yokohama gets ready

MONZURUL HUQ in Tokyo
WITH only three weeks left before the start of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Japan's second largest metropolis, Yokohama city, is now ready for the final countdown with country's largest stadium and many other facilities fully in operation. Yokohama has been chosen the venue for the final as well as three other matches of the competition. As a result, being aware of the extra privileges associated with becoming the first Asian city to have the rare opportunity of hosting the World Cup final, the city administration is busy now putting a finishing touch in all other necessary arrangements for the grand show.
Yokohama is Tokyo's adjacent city situated about 30 kilometers from the center of the capital. The city with a population of 3.4 million feels proud of its historical contact with overseas. Since the arrival of Commodore Perry's famous Black Ship in 1854, Yokohama has been a major gateway for Western culture into Japan. The history also gives credit to the city as the birthplace of cricket and football in Japan. The Yokohama Cricket Club was founded in 1863 in the area of the city designated for foreigners. The club members apparently played cricket and soccer in the city park. The club has since then been renamed as the Yokohama Country and Athletic club and continues its existence till now. Based on such tradition of introducing and adopting new games, the people of the city now feel that hosting the final and some other matches of the preliminary rounds of the 2002 World Cup would definitely add another milestone in city's association with norms and culture of foreign lands.
As part of the World Cup preparation, the city administration had undertaken the task of building a brand new stadium that would provide all possible arrangements for international football matches. The result was an impressive, lavishly equipped stadium, which was opened in March 1998. The stadium is the largest in Japan with the accommodation capacity of 72,000 spectators. The field of the stadium is covered with natural grass and is kept in perfect condition at all times. The stadium also has world's first pneumatically run cameras with a speed of 100 meters per 7 seconds. These high-speed traveling cameras are able to follow competitors, providing dramatic views of actions. Preparations are also well advanced to accommodate large number of soccer fans and media personnel expected to
visit the city during the month-long competition.
The International Stadium Yokohama will be the venue for the final match on 1st June and the excitement of the game will be broadcast around the world from the International Media Center located at the Pacifico Yokohama, which is made up with a 5,000 seat main hall, a conference center, an exhibition hall and a hotel. The original exhibition hall has already been enlarged to 20,000 square meters and this will be the location of the International Media Center, consisting of International Broadcasting Center and the Main Press Center, and serve as a base for reporters world-wide.
To facilitate further media coverage for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the Yokohama Convention and Visitors Bureau of the municipal government has just opened a media promotion office at the Pacifico Yokohama. The office also accommodates Yokohama Media Information, where accredited foreign correspondents will have access to facilities like usage of computers, fax and photocopy services. The center will also provide updated information related to the competition on a regular basis and media representatives will also have the opportunity to watch live coverage of World Cup matches on a large screen television installed there.
The newly-elected Mayor of Yokohama, Hiroshi Nakada, at a recent press briefing for Tokyo based foreign correspondents expressed hope that the World Cup final will be a memorable event that would help carry the name of his city to each and every corner of the globe. The city has never experienced anything like preparing such an event, he said, and reminded that there is no scope for Yokohama to make any mistake in its preparation.
The Mayor has also outlined details of city administration's preparation for countering threats of terrorist attacks as well as the menace of soccer hooliganism during the month-long competition. The municipal government of Yokohama had its own share of 2.9 billion yen investment during an eight-year period for building different facilities related to the World Cup 2002. Mayor Nakada is hopeful that the investment would bring back expected return within the city, and cited the findings of a Bank of Yokohama survey that projected a 25.7 billion yen benefit for the city by hosting four matches of the 2002 World Cup including the final.