(ATR) Other major Japanese cities like Osaka may be a part of the 2020 Summer Olympics.
IOC vice president John Coates says basketball qualifying could be held in Japan's third-largest city about 400 km west of Tokyo.
"It is more important to effectively utilize existing facilities [than build one anew]," said Coates.
"[The IOC] has come out and specifically said that we should make the maximum use of existing facilities, and that, so far as I am concerned, overrides the 8km philosophy which we had as part of the bid."
Coates went on to say that the IOC has suggested that football and basketball preliminaries could be held in cities like Osaka that might already have large venues in place.
Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori said the organizing committee will "maintain the policy of compact Olympic games."
There has been some speculation that Olympic basketball could be played in Saitama, home of the 2006 FIBA World Championship.
An IOC delegation is in Tokyo for the second project review ahead of the 2020 Games. Coates and Olympic Games executive director Christophe Dubi were joined by Mori and organizing committee CEO Toshiro Muto at the press conference.
Written by Taiga Shimada in Tokyo
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