Japanese Olympic officials have expressed concern that the election of Barack Obama to the U.S. presidency could harm Tokyo's bid and boost his hometown of Chicago in its bid to host the 2016 Summer Games.
Tokyo, along with Madrid, Spain and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil are also in the running to host the Olympics in 2016.
Japanese Olympic Committee President Tsunekazu Takeda said Wednesday he wonders what the International Olympic Committee's reaction would be when Mr. Obama appears in a presentation for Chicago.
Senior Japan Olympic Committee executive board member Tomiaki Fukuda added that Mr. Obama's popularity and speechmaking ability could make things "tough for Japan.''
Some information for this report was provided by AP.