Tokyo Olympic Stadium construction falls further behind schedule

Ongoing difficulties for the organisers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics have seen a further delay to the start of construction of the centrepiece of the Olympic Stadium.

The delay to build the centrepiece of the 2020 Summer Games comes at a time when Japan has slid back into recession as its fragile economy struggles with declining capital expenditure and sluggish investments.

An outcry by the public over soaring costs led to the scrapping of the Stadium’s original design by renowned architect Zaha Hadid in July. It was the first in a series of embarrassments in a nation long known for its efficiency and timeliness, a reputation that helped it win the opportunity to host the Summer Games over Madrid and Istanbul in 2013.

After Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe scrapped Hadid’s futuristic design amid furore over the costs, then estimated at 265.1 billion yen (US$2 billion), the International Olympic Committee intervened and called for a January 2020 completion time.

The stadium was originally set to be completed in time to host key matches of the 2019 Rugby World Cup and the delay prompted outrage among rugby officials. The tournament’s final will now be staged in the city of Yokohama.

The crisis saw Japan's Sports Minister Hakubun Shimomura resigned after the scrapping of the stadium plans.

In another blow to its reputation, Olympic organisers scrapped the Tokyo Games logo in early September over accusations of plagiarism.

The stadium, now estimated to cost 155 billion yen, still has no design plan. A competition is to be held for a new design with a decision due in December.

Takakuni Ikeda, Vice President of the Japan Sport Council, which runs the stadium stated “it's true that this is quite late compared to the original plan.”

Lower image shows Zaha Hadid Architects' original design for the Tokyo National Stadium.

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