BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- The International Olympic Committee went for a familiar, trusted host, selecting Tokyo for the 2020 Games and signalling that playing it safe was preferable to more risky picks like Sochi and Rio. With Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reassuring IOC members on the Fukushima nuclear crisis, Tokyo defeated Istanbul 60-36 Saturday in the final round of secret voting. Madrid was eliminated earlier after an initial tie with Istanbul. Tokyo, which hosted the 1964 Olympics, billed itself as the "safe pair of hands" at a time of global political and economic turmoil -- a message that clearly resonated with the IOC. With Madrids bid dogged by questions over Spains economic crisis and Istanbul handicapped by political unrest and the civil war in neighbouring Syria, Tokyo offered the fewest risks. "The certainty was a crucial factor -- the certainty that they could deliver," IOC vice-president Craig Reedie of Britain said. The choice of Tokyo bucked the IOCs recent trend of taking chances on host cities -- Sochi, Russia, for the 2014 Winter Games, Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympics and Pyeongchang, South Korea, for the 2018 Winter Games. Preparations for Sochi have been overshadowed by cost overruns, a record $51 billion budget, security worries and an international outcry over Russias anti-gay legislation. There are mounting concerns among the IOC over construction delays in Rio. The IOCs desire for a reliable, dependable host in 2020 was a crucial factor for Tokyo. "For better or worse, we picked Sochi followed by Rio followed by Pyeongchang," Canadian member Dick Pound said. "Maybe we need to say, All right, whether its the most exciting city in the world or not, they will deliver." Tokyo had been on the defensive in the final days of the campaign because of mounting concerns over the leak of radioactive water from the tsunami-crippled Fukushima nuclear plant. In the final presentation, Abe gave the IOC assurances that the Fukushima leak was not a threat to Tokyo and took personal responsibility for keeping the games safe. "Let me assure you the situation is under control," Abe said. "It has never done and will never do any damage to Tokyo." Abe gave further assurances when pressed on the issue by Norwegian IOC member Gerhard Heiberg. "It poses no problem whatsoever," Abe said in Japanese, adding that the contamination was limited to a small area and had been "completely blocked." "There are no health-related problems until now, nor will there be in the future," he said. "I make the statement to you in the most emphatic and unequivocal way." IOC members said Abes answers were critical and helped dispel any doubts. "People wanted to hear it and needed to hear it," Pound said. "And he delivered on that. I think that was a real knockout answer." Tokyo Electric Power Co., Fukushimas operator, has acknowledged that tons of radioactive water has been seeping into the Pacific from the plant for more than two years after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami led to meltdowns at three of its reactors. Recent leaks from tanks storing radioactive water used to cool the reactors have added to fears that the amount of contaminated water is getting out of hand. Tokyos bid benefited from Japans large economy and link to Olympic sponsors. Asia offers a huge market for the IOC. "There are a lot of commercial advantages for the IOC going to a country with the third-biggest GDP," Australian member John Coates said. "And then compare that to the economic uncertainty facing Spain and the political unrest that Istanbul experienced a few months ago and more particularly the unrest at the Middle East at the moment. "The IOC, weve taken the safe bet." Tokyo delegates in the hall screamed with joy, jumped in the air, hugged and waved small flags after Rogge opened a sealed envelope and read the words: "The International Olympic Committee has the honour of announcing that the games of the 32nd Olympiad in 2020 are awarded to the city of Tokyo." Even though it was 5 a.m. Sunday in Japan, about 1,200 dignitaries and Olympic athletes who crowded into a convention hall in downtown Tokyo celebrated the news. Cheers of "Banzai!" filled the hall when the announcement was made. In Istanbuls old city, a groan went through a gathering of hundreds of people. In the first round, Istanbul and Madrid tied with 26 votes each. Tokyo had 42 votes, six short of a winning a majority. Istanbul then beat Madrid 49-45 in a tiebreak to advance to the final, which Tokyo won easily. After Madrid lost the tiebreak, a deathly hush fell over a crowd that had assembled in the Spanish capitals Puerta de Alcala square and the music stopped. "I am in shock," said Marta Castro, a housewife in the square. "I thought that it was a tiebreaker to see which city won and it turns out that it was to see which lost, and Madrid went out first. How sad! I hadnt imagined it." In their final presentations, Madrid made its case as the least-expensive option and Istanbul spoke of the historic opportunity to bring the Olympics to a predominantly Muslim country for the first time. Madrid, bidding for a third straight time, had seemed to have gained the most momentum in recent weeks despite Spains economic crisis and 27 per cent unemployment rate. The Madrid team claimed the games would pose no financial risk because most of the venues were already built. The Turkish delegation pressed its case of taking the games to a city linking the continents of Europe and Asia. With the civil war in Syria posing a major issue, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said selecting Turkey "will send a very meaningful and strong message, not only to the world, but to our broader region." "At this critical moment, we would like to send a strong message of peace to the whole world from Istanbul," Erdogan said. Madrid said 80 per cent of its venues were ready and only $1.9 billion was needed for construction, a fraction of the other two bids. "Madrid has perhaps the most reasonable and responsible financial foundation in recent Olympic history," Spanish Prime Minster Mariano Rajoy said. "We can host the Olympics in 2020 with no risk to the Olympic movement." Giovani Lo Celso Paris Saint-Germain Jersey . However, it wasnt a problem on Monday night. Evgeni Nabokov made 23 saves for his 56th career shutout in the New York Islanders 3-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Monday night. Thomas Meunier Paris Saint-Germain Jersey . 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PAUL, Minn. -- The Phoenix Coyotes were worried that their reputation as a defensive team was in jeopardy. On Wednesday night, they took a big step toward getting it back. Radim Vrbata scored two goals and Thomas Greiss made 28 saves to lead the Coyotes over the Minnesota Wild 3-1. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Coyotes. The Wild have lost two straight and scored a total of one goal in that stretch. The Coyotes rank fourth in the league in goals per game, but theyd allowed 20 goals in their past five games before Wednesday. They dont have a shutout this season and hadnt allowed fewer than two goals in a game since Oct. 29. "We know we have to get back to playing a really tight defending game," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. "Our offence has been very good, that hasnt been an issue. But we have to defend better and tonight hopefully was a step in that direction." The Wild were playing their first game without leading scorer Zach Parise, who is expected to miss 2 to 3 weeks with a foot injury suffered on Monday in St. Louis. Minnesotas offence was sluggish for much of the game, especially in the first period when the Wild were outshot 12-5 and fell behind 1-0. The Wild struggled to adapt to new line combinations that were immediately juggled when centre Mikael Granlund left the game and did not return after taking a hard hit on his first shift. "It seems like every game right now weve got different guys going out with different guys. But theres no excuses," Wild coach Mike Yeo said. "That game was still there for us but weve got to make sure were ready to start better, thats all." Mikkel Boedker put the Coyotes on top with his sixth goal of the season at 8:13 of the first. He picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone and started a 2-on-1 break with linnemate Mike Ribeiro.dddddddddddd. Boedker kept the puck and fired a shot from the left faceoff circle that beat Wild goaltender Niklas Backstrom. That was almost all the cushion Greiss needed. Playing in just his sixth game of the season, he said he appreciated having an early lead to take the momentum and ease some of the pressure on him. "It was great," Greiss said. "We talked a little bit about getting the first goal and playing a solid defensive game. Thats what we did." Vrbata doubled the lead at 3:42 of the second period when he pounced on a pass from Tim Kennedy from behind the net and snapped the puck past Backstrom for his seventh of the season. Dany Heatley brought the Wild within a goal midway through the third period when he buried a rebound that Greiss didnt handle cleanly. Nino Niederreiter took a shot from the top of the slot that was tipped in front of Greiss. The puck bounced off his mask and fell to Heatley at the right post, where he got his fifth goal of the season. But that was the closest Minnesota would get. Vrbata added an empty-net goal on a power play with 22.9 seconds left to provide the final margin. "Its a start," Tippett said. "We played a solid road game. We came out and had a really good first period. We got up by one and had some chances to go farther than that. "We took a few unfortunate penalties in the second and let them get a little bit of momentum, but then we weathered the storm in the third and got a solid two points." Notes: Despite missing Parise, the Wild welcomed the return of two key players on Wednesday. D Keith Ballard had missed the past nine games with two broken ribs, while C Torrey Mitchell had missed three games with a lower-body injury. ... Phoenix is 6-0-2 in its past eight games in Minnesota. White NFL Jerseys Cheap Youth NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys 2020 Stitched NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Autographed Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Discount Jerseys ' ' '