Tokyo finishes Olympic stadium for 2020

Construction work has been done at Tokyo’s National Stadium, set to be the centerpiece of next year’s Olympic Games, the site’s owners said on Tuesday (Nov 19).

The Japan Sports Council said the final work had been finished on Thursday with the final quality and safety checks remaining before the stadium opens next month.

It will be officially made public on Dec 21, with the Emperor’s Cup soccer final being the first sporting event to be held there on New Year’s Day.

Completed at a cost of more than $1.25 billion, the stadium, which can board 60,000, will also host the athletics and soccer events during the Games.

Construction started in December 2016, about 14 months later than worked out, after the original design was scrapped because of a public outcry over spiraling costs.

The dally meant the stadium could not host matches of the Rugby World Cup, as originally planned.

The National Stadium is one of eight new venues to be used at the Tokyo Games, all of them are either complete or on schedule to be closed before the event.

The Tokyo Olympics run from Jul 24 to Aug 9.

Source: Reuters