International Olympic Committee votes for 2020 Summer Olympics host city IOC member Juan Antonio Samaranch Salisachs speaks during the final presentation of the Madrid 2020 bid, during the 125th Session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), in Buenos Aires. THE three cities bidding to host the 2020 Summer Olympics - Madrid, Istanbul and Tokyo - were delivering their final presentations on Saturday ahead of the expected tight vote by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). For the three cities this was a final chance to woo the IOC members with a 45-minute presentation followed by the first round of voting. First to take to the stage was the delegation from Istanbul, seeking to take the Games for the first time to a predominantly Muslim country, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdogan told his IOC 'judges' that were Istanbul chosen it would send out a powerful message to the Middle East region, which he said is in desperate need of peace. Mr Erdogan, who has been at the forefront of moves to punish neighbour Syria for allegedly using chemical weapons on their people, told IOC delegates in his native tongue: "We live at a time when our region and the world wish for peace and at this critical moment we would like to send a strong message of peace to the world from Istanbul. I would like to point out that giving the Games to a country where the population is predominantly Muslim would send out a powerful message, to our region especially, which is in desperate need of peace. Pressed on this by Prince Albert of Monaco in the question session afterwards Erdogan delivered a firm reply. There is a quest for peace in our region and I see the Olympic Rings as being a powerful partner for that, symbolising peace, friendship and partnership. Next up was Tokyo, the 1964 host city. Tokyo's bid has been dogged by questions over the safety of the Fukushima plant, damaged in the tsunami and earthquake which hit the north east of Japan in 2011. But Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who had flown in from the G20 Summit in Russia, assured IOC members the situation regarding the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant was under control. The 58-year-old, in an assured and polished performance speaking in English, left no doubt that he and his government had the situation under control. "It has never done or will do any damage to Tokyo," he said. Mr Abe replied decisively when pressed by veteran Norwegian IOC member Gerhard Heiberg over Fukushima: "You should read past the headlines and look at the facts." Mr Abe added: "Today under the blue sky of Fukushima there are young boys playing football and looking into the future and not the past." Madrid officials were the last to put their case, before the IOC began deliberating on which city was to take over the Olympic baton from 2016 hosts Rio de Janeiro. Madrid looked to have gained a slight late edge over its two rivals but will still have to overcome questions about the Spanish economy. Madrid, though, has shown remarkable resilience throughout the race, battling to convince members they could host the Games despite the dire state of the Spanish economy. The Spanish capital seemingly achieved that goal when the IOC Evaluation Commission gave the thumbs up to its proposed budget. With 28 of the 35 venues already built after the failed bids for 2012 (they were third) and 2016 (runners-up) and the infrastructure in place, there is relatively little extra expenditure. "As the additional investment required to deliver the Games is relatively modest, the Commission believes that the Spanish economy should be able to support the delivery of the Games," read the report.