Azerbaijan plans 2016 Olympics bid

Baku plans to bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics, Minister of Youth and Sport Azad Rahimov has told The Associated Press.

The government has informed the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of its intentions and is prepared to fulfill all the terms for this, he said.

The IOC will send bid requests next spring and select the 2016 host in 2009. The next two Summer Olympic Games will be held in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012.

Other expected bidders for 2016 Summer Olympics are Madrid, Rome, Tokyo, and Rio de Janeiro.*