Baku, Doha in danger of missing Olympic cut

QUEBEC CITY — The field of candidates for the 2020 Summer Olympics could be reduced from five to three, with Doha and Baku in danger of missing the cut.

Tokyo, Istanbul and Madrid look certain to make the list when the International Olympic Committee executive board announces the group of finalists on Wednesday evening in Quebec City.

Whether the IOC keeps all five cities or pares the list to four or three remains the issue, a tricky choice at a time of global economic and political uncertainty.

"Risk is part of the assessment — political risk, economic risk," IOC board member Denis Oswald said Tuesday.

Madrid is bidding for a third consecutive time, Tokyo a second time in a row and Istanbul a fifth time overall.

Doha, capital of the Gulf state of Qatar, and Baku, capital of the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan, are back after failing to make the shortlist for the 2016 Games and face the most scrutiny again.

The cities selected Wednesday will go forward to the final phase, a 17-month race that will end with a secret vote by the full IOC in Buenos Aires in September 2013.

The 15-member executive board, headed by IOC president Jacques Rogge, will choose the finalists after examining a technical evaluation report compiled by a panel of Olympic experts.

IOC vice president Thomas Bach called it "the most difficult decision we have ever had to take with regard to a shortlist."

The dynamics of the race changed dramatically when Rome, considered a potential 2020 favorite, pulled out of the bidding in February after the Italian government declined to provide financial guarantees at a time of economic austerity.

If there is a cut Wednesday, Baku is expected to be eliminated first. If the IOC decides to keep four cities, Doha would be safe. If it's three finalists, Doha would likely be dropped.

Baku is seen as lacking in experience in hosting international sports events and officials believe it's too soon for the city to be considered a viable contender.

Qatar is already hosting the 2022 World Cup, but faces questions over the heat, the timing and other issues for the Olympics.

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