2020 Olympics: Submitting bids to the International Olympic Committee by Friday's deadline were Rome; Madrid; Tokyo; Istanbul; Doha, Qatar; and Baku, Azerbaijan.
Six cities from Europe, Asia and the Middle East are competing to host the 2020 Olympics.
Submitting bids to the International Olympic Committee by Friday's deadline were Rome; Madrid; Tokyo; Istanbul; Doha, Qatar; and Baku, Azerbaijan.
There were no surprises, as all six cities had previously announced their candidacies.
IN PICTURES: Crazy Olympics Fans.
All six contenders have made previous bids, and two — Rome and Tokyo— have hosted the Olympics before.
Madrid is bidding for a third consecutive time, while Tokyo, Doha and Baku are making their second successive attempts. It is Istanbul's fifth overall bid.
Doha is proposing to hold the games in September and October, outside the traditional July-August dates, to avoid the blistering summer temperatures in the Gulf country.
National Olympic committees had until Friday to notify the IOC of the names of any applicant cities.
The IOC will select the host city by secret ballot on Sept. 7, 2013, in Buenos Aires.
The six candidates must first submit detailed application files and letters of guarantee to the IOC by Feb. 15. The IOC executive board will meet in May to decide whether to cut any of the cities and approve a list of finalists.
Final bid dossiers will be submitted in January 2013, followed by visits to the cities by an IOC evaluation commission from February to April.
The IOC panel will issue a report assessing the technical merits of the bids at least one month before the vote. The cities will also make technical presentations to the IOC ahead of the meeting in Buenos Aires.
"Clearly the bids that begin with the most strength are Madrid, Rome and Tokyo, cities that are consolidated as three great urban centers," said Spanish IOC member Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., son of the former IOC president and a key figure in the Spanish capital's candidacy.
British bookmaker William Hill installed Tokyo as the 2-1 favorite, followed by Rome and Madrid at 9-4, Istanbul 6-1, and Doha and Baku 14-1.
IN PICTURES: Crazy Olympics Fans
Rome, which hosted the 1960 Olympics, was the first of the cities to announce its bid months ago. The Italian capital lost to Athens in the race for the 2004 Olympics and hopes to stage the games on the 60th anniversary of the '60 Games.
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