TOKYO (AFP) The Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki said Sunday they were considering bidding for the 2020 Summer Olympics in tandem with a campaign to promote a nuclear-free world. The two cities, which were rebuilt from the devastation of US atomic bombings in the closing days of World War II, said they would set up a committee to study the possibility of a joint bid. Hiroshima mayor Tadatoshi Akiba, an advocate of nuclear disarmament who has called for the world to be free of atomic weapons by 2020, has previously said he wants the city to host the Olympics in the name of world peace. We are aiming for the abolition of nuclear weapons in 2020. If we are engaged in Olympic bidding activities in parallel, it is expected to produce a synergetic effect, Akiba told a news conference in Hiroshima. The Olympics started as a festival of peace in the first place. In this sense, too, our bid will be appropriate. Nagasaki mayor Tomihisa Taue said last weeks surprise award of the Nobel Peace Prize to US President Barack Obama, for his advocacy of a nuclear-free world, had accelerated the trend toward the abolition of nuclear arms. If we can co-host the Olympics, it will send a message to help bring about peace, Taue said. Nine days ago, Tokyo along with Chicago and Madrid failed in their bids to host the 2016 Summer Olympics, losing out to Rio de Janeiro. Tokyo has yet to decide whether it will bid for the 2020 Games. Tokyo said it had spent 15 billion yen (169 million dollars) in its bidding activities. It had emphasised its plan to stage compact and green Olympics by reducing carbon emissions from Games-related projects and operations. While the International Olympic Committees rules state that in principle only one city can host the Olympics, there have been exceptions, such as the 2008 Beijing Summer Games, when Hong Kong staged equestrian events. Hiroshima, which hosted the 1994 Asian Games, and Nagasaki are around 300 kilometres (190 miles) apart. Japan has already hosted three Olympics the 1964 Summer Games in Tokyo as well as the 1972 and 1998 Winter Games in Sapporo and Nagano. 2012 site workers face anti-terror biometric scans Workers on Londons Olympic Park will have to go through biometric scanning to access the 2012 Games site in a bid to protect it from terrorists, a newspaper reported Sunday. From this week, machines that have hand and iris recognition technology will be deployed at entry points around the 2.5-square-kilometre east London site, The Observer said. The weekly said the hand scanners could check up to 5,000 workers per hour at Europes largest regeneration project, while the iris scanners would be used as an alternative if required. The decision to implement the measures was based on Britains years of experience in both tackling terrorism and hosting major sporting and cultural events, Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell said. Ensuring the construction phase of the Games is safe and secure is a key part of our preparations for London 2012. We are using cutting-edge technology to make sure that as activity on the site increases the workforce and infrastructure continue to be protected without affecting progress. Around 4,500 people work at the site but the figure is expected to double by the end of next year, The Observer said. The scanners will also help clamp down on illegal labour. Government figures found that 136 suspected illegal immigrants were arrested at the site between April and December last year, the latest period for which figures are available. We are phasing in robust plans to ensure the security and safety of both the Olympic Park workforce and the surrounding communities, said a spokesman for the Olympic Delivery Agency. Enhanced access controls utilising the latest technology will enable properly authorised, equipped and trained workers to enter and leave the Olympic Park as quickly and safely as possible. Rome and Venice are reportedly preparing to host the 2020 Summer Olympics. Other cities including Cape Town, Durban, Dubai and Rabat have also been mentioned as possible candidates.