Japan prepares to approve 2020 Olympic stadium guidelines as costs balloon
Olympic committee have come under fire from observers over booming costs
Japan was set to approve on Friday guidelines for its new Olympic stadium, with local media reporting cost estimates are unlikely to be included and construction would not start until at least a year later than planned.
Japan scrapped its original plan for the new National stadium last month in the face of widespread outrage after costs ballooned to $2.1 billion (HK$16.3 trillion), nearly twice original estimates – an unusual move for an Olympic host city this late in the process.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) signed off on the decision for the stadium, centerpiece of the 2020 Summer Olympics, but it has also said it will be part of the new stadium tender to make sure things stay on track.
The guidelines, to be approved by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other officials, will emphasize cost-cutting measures such as keeping a number of seats temporary, media reports said. Management of the stadium is likely to be taken over by a private firm after the Olympics.
Construction will not begin until at least the end of 2016 and possibly even later, the reports added. Construction was originally set to begin at the end of 2015 and be finished in March 2019.