All Tokyo Olympic Venues Finalized; Soccer and Other Events to Be Held in Disaster-Affected Areas
On May 2, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, approved all seven soccer venues for the Tokyo Olympics in a single decision. This finalizes all competition venues for the Tokyo Games.
The approved soccer venues are: the New National Stadium (Olympic Stadium), Tokyo Stadium, Sapporo Dome, Miyagi Stadium, Ibaraki Kashima Stadium, Saitama Stadium 2020, and Yokohama International Stadium.
(Photo courtesy of Tokyo 2020)
The Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government have been reviewing the entire venue plan, including new permanent facilities, from the perspectives of legacy, impact on residents' lives, and cost.
The adoption of the Olympic Agenda 2020 at the IOC Session in December 2014, which advocated promoting the use of existing facilities, further spurred this review. As a result, the use of existing facilities increased from about 40% during the bid phase to about 60%, reducing facility construction costs by over ¥200 billion.
The Organizing Committee stated, "This revision led to the utilization of many existing facilities, including competition venues in neighboring municipalities. Preparing for the Games together with many municipalities became a major feature of the Tokyo Games. The use of existing facilities, combined with the eight new permanent facilities being constructed, will create a legacy that fosters healthy and prosperous urban living. This will also serve as a model for sustainable Games operations for future host cities."
It also commented, "Competitions will be held in areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, such as Miyagi Stadium and Ibaraki Kashima Stadium for soccer, and Fukushima Azuma Stadium for baseball and softball. We aim to deliver courage and hope through sports to the many people working tirelessly towards recovery, and to convey Japan's state ten years after the disaster, along with our gratitude, in response to the support and encouragement received from around the world."
Organizing Committee Official Website: https://tokyo2020.org/jp/
Was this article helpful?
Share this article
