Berlin: Azerbaijan's Baku became the sixth and final city to join the race to host the 2020 Summer Olympics, the International Olympic Committee said in a statement as the deadline for applications expired on Friday.
Tokyo (Japan), Madrid (Spain), Istanbul (Turkey), Rome (Italy) and Doha (Qatar) had already confirmed their applications for the world's biggest multi-sports event.
The IOC will elect the winning bid at its 2013 session in Buenos Aires, Argentina after drawing up a shortlist in May next year.
Tokyo and Madrid, which is bidding for the third time in a row, lost out to Rio de Janeiro in the race to host the 2016 Games, while Baku also put in a bid but failed to make the shortlist.
Doha, which also failed to make the cut for 2016 over late dates for its proposed Games, was given the all-clear by the IOC this time to stage Games in September/October rather than the usual July/August schedule due the hot summers in the desert state of Qatar, which will host the 2022 soccer World Cup.
"The application of Doha will be assessed on dates within the range proposed by the Qatar Olympic Committee - 20 September to 20 October - and accepted, in principle, by the IOC Executive Board," the IOC said.
The IOC added that while accepting a shift of dates, it had also asked for "full assurances" to protect the health of athletes and fans.
"In order to protect the health of the athletes, the IOC will publish a list of events which must be organised at the most appropriate time determined by the IOC (early morning/late afternoon)," it said in a statement.
"This scheduling should not be detrimental to the organisation, the broadcast coverage or the spectator experience. Measures should be taken to protect the health of the public and all technical and support staff."
Istanbul's bid is its fifth in the last six bid processes since first launching a candidacy for the 2000 Olympics.
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