Ground Breaks For Tokyo Olympics

Construction has finally gotten under way for Tokyo’s new National Stadium, which will be the primary venue for the 2020 Summer Olympics. 

Kyodo News via AP – Tokyo National Stadium
Tokyo held a groundbreaking ceremony Dec. 11 for a $1.5 billion new National Stadium to host the 2020 Olympic Games.

Tokyo National Stadium – Tokyo held a groundbreaking ceremony Dec. 11 for a $1.5 billion new National Stadium to host the 2020 Olympic Games. 

A groundbreaking ceremony took place Dec 11 attended by Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and other dignitaries.

The new stadium, which at the moment is estimated to cost $1.5 billion, is on the same site as the old National Stadium that was built expressly for the 1964 Summer Olympics.

Though “groundbreaking” was supposedly the order of the day, the VIPs who participated didn’t actually wield any shovels. Instead, they put their hands on a glass sphere that rotated through the colors of the Olympic logo.

The ceremony ended with a video showing how the stadium is expected to look and function once it is completed, which is scheduled November 2019.

Work on the stadium has been delayed several times owing to various problems, the biggest of which was a complete scrapping of the original design after it was deemed too expensive. Koike, who was elected in July, ran on a platform of keeping the costs of the Games down, as not all Tokyoites are enthusiastic about hosting the event at all.

Two weeks ago, Koike and members of the International Olympic Committee pledged a united front to keep costs within reason after various estimates projected a price tag of more than $30 billion.

The design of the new stadium by Kengo Kuma uses a wooden lattice framework that mimics traditional Japanese construction and is intended to blend in with surrounding parks.