Olympics-Tokyo brushes off Chicago's 2016 Obama boost

By Alastair Himmer

TOKYO, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Tokyo's bid officials insist they still have the edge in the race to host the 2016 Olympics despite Barack Obama's victory in the U.S. presidential election.

Obama's success has given his home city of Chicago a boost and Japanese media are already speculating that Tokyo's chances could be damaged as a result.

"I've seen the headlines but we have to remember we had the best technical evaluation from the IOC in June," Tokyo's 2016 bid communications manager Masanori Takaya told Reuters on Thursday.

"Every bid city has its own strengths and weaknesses -- Tokyo's is its technical plan. We are focusing all our efforts on further refining our bid."

Tokyo and Chicago face competition from Madrid and Rio de Janeiro in the race to stage the 2016 Olympics. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will select the winner in October 2009.

The Japanese capital, the first Asian city to host the Olympics in 1964, topped the IOC's overall technical evaluation in June with Madrid second.

"Despite who is elected as U.S. president we have to communicate to everyone we were evaluated as the best technically and we should be proud of that," said Takaya.

"But there is a lot to do in the remaining 11 months and we are still trying to improve. We're dedicating all our efforts on having the best possible candidate file."

Each of the four bidding cities must submit a candidature file by February 2009 before hosting an IOC evaluation visit the spring.

Takaya insisted Obama's landslide win in Tuesday's U.S. presidential election would not change the dynamic of the 2016 bidding process.

"I don't think it will," he said. "We just have to focus on our own bid. For the next 11 months that's our job."

Takaya added that sharp-shooting Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso could prove an even bigger asset to Tokyo's Olympic hopes than Obama does to Chicago's.

"Japan has a PM who was an Olympian," said Takaya, pointing to Aso's participation at the 1976 Montreal Olympics in shooting.

"Not many countries have an Olympian as a head of state." (Editing by Peter Rutherford)