Tokyo and Doha formally submitted their bids Monday to host the 2020 Olympics, delivering their files to the IOC two days before the deadline. Delegations from both cities submitted their documents to International Olympic Committee headquarters, the first of the six candidate cities to do so. The other 2020 contenders are Madrid, Istanbul, Rome and Baku, Azerbaijan. The files must be submitted by the end of Wednesday. The IOC will study the files and decide in May whether to retain all the candidates or pare the list. The IOC will select the 2020 host city at a meeting in Buenos Aires in September 2013. A question mark still hangs over the Rome bid, which needs the support of the government amid Italy's financial crisis. Premier Mario Monti is scheduled to announce his decision Tuesday morning after a meeting with Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno and other bid leaders. Doha also bid for the 2016 Games, but failed to make the shortlist of finalists. The Gulf city is seeking to bring the Games to the Middle East for the first time. Qatar will be hosting the 2022 World Cup. Doha proposes holding the Olympics in September or October to avoid the summer heat, which can exceed 40 degrees Celsius in July.
