Tokyo: The new National Stadium of Tokyo is ready to host the 2020 summer Olympics, announced the organization responsible for the project. The new venue is located on the site of the demolished stadium that hosted the Olympic Games in 1964 and its construction has been completed after a delay caused by a change in the original design.
The Japan Sport Council, the public-private body in charge of the construction of what will be one of the main venues of the upcoming 2020 Summer Olympics, on Saturday completed the necessary procedures to make the stadium available to the Tokyo government and the organizing committee.
In the summer of 2015, the Tokyo government and the Games' organizing committee decided to discard the original design of the stadium in order to reduce its budget following a barrage of criticism due to its magnitude and excessive cost.
The extravagant design by the late Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid that was initially chosen was scrapped and replaced by that of Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, which organizers say imparts a more austere appearance to the stadium and a more eco-friendly character adapted to Japanese tradition and the environment.
The change in design delayed the construction and meant that Japan could not use it to host the 2019 Rugby World Cup in September as originally planned.
The stadium can seat 60,000 spectators and will host the opening and closing ceremonies, as well athletic and football events of the Games, which will take place in Tokyo between July 24 - August 9 next year.
Toshiro Muto, the executive director of the organizing committee, expressed confidence that the stadium would become an irreplaceable legacy.
The stadium is scheduled to be officially inaugurated on December 21 and the Emperor's Cup football final will be the first event to be held there on January 1, 2020.
