Tokyo 2020 said it will deliver an Olympic and Paralympic Games of excellence and excitement.
The bid committee revealed its Technical Plan which shows that the Tokyo 2020 Games will be among the most compact in recent Games history with 28 out of 31 competition venues located conveniently in the city within an 8km radius of the Olympic and Paralympic Village.
The new Olympic Stadium, Kasumigaoka National Stadium, is to be built on the site of the 1964 Olympic Stadium, hosting 80,000 people for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, as well as the competitions including Athletics.
There is an enhanced plan for the Village to be relocated at the very centre of the venue plan at the intersection of the Heritage Zone and Tokyo Bay Zone. Almost all venues are within an 8km radius of the Village.
Following the Games the Village site will become the Tokyo International Exchange Plaza – a residential and mixed-use development.
A number of legacy facilities from the 1964 Tokyo Games will be modernized and developed. The cluster of new permanent venues will be located in the developing Sea Forest Park overlooking Tokyo Bay.
There will be live sites, fan trails and other entertainment points integrated into the Olympic Plan and the city.
The Games plan will be in close alignment with new and extended urban planning and development strategies for Tokyo, with venues and Games facilities connected by “one of the world’s most efficient public transport systems” undergoing constant and integrated improvement.
Tokyo 2020 President Tsunekazu Takeda said, “it is with great honour and a sense of national pride that we have submitted our plans to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for their consideration. We have worked hard to improve the plans we presented in 2016 and to make sure that they are fully integrated with the city and its people. We have made sure to apply those lessons this time. The first proof of that is in this strengthened initial venue plan”.
According to the 90-page application, the bid committee has proposed to stage the Games from July 25 to August 9, 2020 and USD $2.03 billion in revenues is expected to be generated from various sources including ticket sales and sponsorships.
The bid and the organization of the Games will be privately funded. The budget for bid campaign will be $83.3 million comprised of $5.5 million during the application phase and $77.8 million for the international phase.
A key motivation for the bid, according to the document, is to help recover from the devestating natural disasters that impacted Japan last year.
“While the damage and impact upon Tokyo from the Great East Japan Earthquake on 11 March 2011 were minimal, this disaster has profoundly affected the nation.
“Japan is fighting to help these affected areas recover, aided by the great support of the Olympic and Paralympic families around the world.
“Hosting the Games will provide us with a clear goal and added unity as we recover, and give us an opportunity to thank the international community for supporting our reconstruction efforts.”
Based on the document, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will evaluate the bid and generate a score that will be compared to the other bids. From these scores – the IOC will select a short list of candidates in May.
