TOKYO 2020: Tokyo will have a state of the art stadium in time for the 2020 Olympic Games despite the escalating construction costs in Japan and the scrapping of the original project.
Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee made the prediction on Wednesday after admitting construction costs in Japan “had gone through the roof”.
There was no blame game, or finger pointing, from the IOC after the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe abandoned the national stadium project due to escalating costs.
Instead the IOC supported his decision to start the process from zero. The IOC is committed to cutting costs for cities bidding and ultimately hosting the Olympic Games.
In Kuala Lumpur for the 128th Session of the IOC, President Bach, acknowledged that organisers of the Tokyo 2020 Games had embraced the IOC’s cost cutting plans announced as part of its Agenda 2020 program.
“So far (Tokyo) has made $1.7 billion US in savings and the new national stadium will be less expensive and another saving," Mr Bach said.
President Bach said the spiralling construction costs in Japan were “beyond the control of the Organising Committee and the Japanese Government but Tokyo will have a state of the art stadium for 2020."
He said the IOC will assist with the tender process for the new stadium to ensure the athletes are taken into account.
“We need a state of the art stadium for the athletes and the spectators and I am sure we will get it,” he said.
Earlier in the day, former Japanese Prime Minister, Yoshiro Mori, who is now President of Tokyo 2020 came to Kuala Lumpur to address the IOC Executive Board and offered his “sincerest apologies for the fact that we would have to change the plan for the new national stadium.”
The IOC told Mr Mori that his formal apology was “not necessary.”
Mike Tancred in Kuala Lumpur
AOC
