Tokyo Ready to Break Ground on Olympic Stadium

(ATR) Construction on Tokyo’s revamped Olympic Stadium will begin in a little more than a week.

The project, now nearly 14 months behind schedule due to a change in the stadium design, will begin on Dec. 11 with a groundbreaking ceremony, according to the Japan Sports Council.

The original design by late-architect Zaha Hadid was scrapped after cost projections for the stadium rose to as much as $2 billion. Hadid’s design was replaced by that of Japanese architect Kengo Kuma in December 2015 with a projected cost of $1.3 billion.

The new project was chosen to help Tokyo 2020 organizers cut costs in line with the International Olympic Committee’s Agenda 2020 that seeks to limit the burden of host cities. Even with the new cost projection, the Tokyo Olympic Stadium will be the most expensive ever built for the Games.

The stadium will be built on the site of the 1964 Olympic Stadium in Tokyo that was demolished in 2015. Kuma along with construction conglomerate Taisei Corp. and building planner Azusa Sekkei Co are tasked with the stadium’s completion.

Construction on the stadium is expected to be completed by December 2019, eliminating the ability to use the venue for the 2019 Rugby World Cup as originally planned. The World Cup will now be staged in Yokohama.

Written by Kevin Nutley

Forgeneral comments or questions, click here.

25 Years at #1: Your best source of news about theOlympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribersonly.

What's the world's best sport city? Vote here!