In order to stymie ballooning costs, a city of Tokyo panel is urging the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee to reconsider constructing a new aquatics center for the event.
Instead, the committee has suggested that the Olympic aquatic events be held in the Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center in downtown Tokyo, close to the Olympic village.
The original plan for the venue boasted a seating capacity of 20,000, compared to just under 15,000 at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium in Rio, 17,500 for London, and 17,000 for Beijing.
The Tatsumi seats only 3,635 spectators.
A preliminary report from the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee found that total event costs could balloon to four times the original estimate, surging from 734 billion yen ($7.24 billion USD) to over 3 trillion yen ($29 billion USD).
The Tokyo panel, urged in part by the recently elected governor Yuriko Koike, who campaigned partially on a review of expenses, also proposed scrapping plans for volleyball and rowing venues.
However, the event organizers say that the proposed changes may be difficult to enact.
“These sites were chosen over years and approved by the sports federations and International Olympic Committee,” Yoshiro Mori, head of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, told Reuters. “It would be extremely difficult to overturn this.”
Contrary to the city’s bid proposal, which suggested 85% of athletic venues would be within 5 miles of the Olympic village, organizers have already moved several events, including basketball, cycling, and sailing, outside of the capital. The cycling courses, notably, are in Shizuoka, 125 miles away. The initially proposed design for the site of the opening and closing ceremonies has also been overturned due to cost.
If they do this, they will definitely add lots of seating. There’s no way the capacity will be less than 4k at the Olympics – think of the ticket revenue they’d be giving up! Especially if their motivation to switch venues is a financial one, they would probably build at least 10,000 additional seats at Tatsumi. They probably figure it’s cheaper to add seats to an existing aquatics venue than to build a new one from scratch.
Obviously you’ve got to assume with any estimate that costs are going to end up being a bit higher when it’s all said and done, but when you’re looking at a 300% margin of error in the wrong direction, someone had better be under some serious heat.
I’d put Beijing 2008 up there. No money issues – the government backed up with unlimited resources. The water cube was magnificent – just ask the GOAT!
Probably a good idea with a little improvement to seating.
Just put a Myrtha pool into a basketball arena and be done with it.
Warm ups in the parking lot… the 3k seated pool can host prelims for water polo
And have some lanes going faster in one direction than others?
NO thanks.
Hooray we started on Tokyo ! Here is the first up complaint – pool seating. Not only won’t there be so many but dear Westerners the seats will be be on the narrow side .
Japanese are the politest ppl on the planet but it really is intransigence with a smile .I look forward to them battling the increasingly obnoxious Olympic Empire with its Anglo warlords.
Actually G.I.N.A, the 1964 Tokyo Games were spectacular – especially the pool used for those Games. The complaint about seating should have never happened. But if this is true, then this is more an affront to the sport of swimming and deserves to be dealt with immediately. If swim fans have something to say, then so be it. A 3,500 seat “Olympic Swimming Facility” is an insult to the sport. I trust the Japanese and believe this will be taken care of quickly.
1964 was My Fair Lady , Beatlemania , LBJ , De Gaulle Mao & Japan made toys.
2020 will be – who knows but it will not be the same
Never in a million years would I have thought Tokyo would now be in this position. The seating for the swim facility is fine for a national event but NOT the Olympic Games. Come on, Tokyo, that wasn’t funny.
Reduce the seating capacity for one of the premier Olympic events by roughly 14,000!?!?!? You’ve got to be kidding me
I’m not familiar with the pool but they could have built temporary seating at that pool for the games, just a thought.
It seems to have a large glass wall/window along one side of the main pool, I presume it could be removed and temp seats put in there like Sydney and London, I don’t think it would get above 10,000.
Looking at pics of the centre it does look pretty amazing and it is very near the Olympic Village.
your profile name screams your hypocrisy