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Tokyo 2020 costs soaring

Felix Tamsut
September 29, 2016

The Tokyo Games were initially costed at 7.3 billion dollars, but recent estimates suggest the final sum could exceed 30 billion dollars. Tokyo is proposing ways to cut costs, but will the IOC approve?

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Olympische Spiele Rio 2016 - Schlussfeier Japanische Flagge im rotem Punkt
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Kahnert

A panel has urged the 2020 Olympic Games organizers to change three of the prospective venues in order to fight surging costs.

Estimates first argued the city would have to spend $7.24 billion in order to host the Games, but a report by a host of Japanese academics and businessmen, commissioned by the city, said the final amount would be more than quadrupled unless drastic measures are taken.

“Given the current situation, costs could run over 3 trillion yen ($29 billion),” the report suggests. Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike, the city’s first ever female governor, said she is taking the report “seriously,” and added the financial burden cannot be passed to the residents of Tokyo. Her predecessor Yoichi Masuzoe has resigned from his post due to ”inappropriate use” of public funds.

Volleyball and swimming venues to change

As part of the plans to lower costs, the report suggests the city needs to consider using existing facilities instead of building new ones.

The changes suggested by the panel are to the venues hosting the volleyball, swimming and rowing/canoeing competitions. While Tokyo has obliged to have some 85 percent of the venues within a distance of 8 kilometers of the Olympic village, the changes could see the rowing and canoeing competitions take place as far as 400 kilometers from the Japanese capital.

Rio Paralympics 2016 Abschlussfeier Yuriko Koike (R) Gouverneurin Präfektur Tokio mit Fahne
Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike at the closing ceremony of Rio 2016Image: picture-alliance/OIS/T. Lovelock

All venue changes will have to be approved by both the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the respective sports international federations. 

Plagiarism and bribe among the allegations

This is hardly the 2020 Olympics’ first setback. Changes have already been made to some of the competitions, including sailing and basketball, while the initial design for the National Stadium, where the opening and closing ceremonies will be held, was scrapped because it was too expensive, with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also voicing his concerns over the stadium's potential costs. 

The Tokyo 2020 organizers had to change the Olympics’ logo to a new one after the initial one was claimed to have been plagiarized.

French prosecutors also launched an investigation into reports that large sums of money were allegedly paid to ensure Tokyo’s win in the race to host the 2020 Olympics. Prime Minister Abe has promised Japan will fully cooperate with the investigation. 

(RTRS/AFP)