With time running out, Japan to scale back stadium for 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Hakubun Shimomura said a planned retractable roof wouldn’t be built in time for the games, and some of the 80,000 seats would be temporary ones

Folding or stackable?

"Don't bite off more than you can chew." - Yoda

Funny how nobody noticed this alleged shortage of money problem when they were putting together the bid.

Use the old Olympic Stadium? Oh, wait...

Remove the slush from the slush funds.

They win the bid and then change stuff. So the bid was inaccurate to begin with?

"The IOC said Tokyo has saved more than $1 billion so far in costs."

That's like stealing all of the chocolate from a chocolate factory and then giving back one tiny piece and saying they've 'saved'. $1 billion so far in costs that have gone way beyond the costs projected and bragged about in the bid, which is to say how many billions over that stated in the bid?

Classic bait-and-switch (although to be fair, the trimming is a good idea given the overblown nature of the original proposal)

Hakubun Shimomura said a planned retractable roof wouldn’t be built in time for the games, and some of the 80,000 seats would be temporary ones, according to Japanese media reports.

The IOC executive board gave them the go-ahead in February to change three venue locations

The 2020 Olympics will make more use of existing venues than initially proposed.

Yup, as suspected, Abe and the boys over-promised when they made their pitch to the IOC, and are going to under-deliver. Too bad the IOC members had not heard the well-known adage: "How do you know when a Japanese politican is lying? Simple, his lips are moving."

"It is due to be completed in time to host the Rugby World Cup in Japan in 2019."

Can't they have the rugby games at the Saitama Super Arena?

I never understood the idea of cutting costs for the Olympics. It is a prestige event and the moment you host it, you expect to bleed through the nose for a bit of prestige. Getting it than making constant cutbacks defeats the whole idea.

If I were the IOC, I'll just give it to the guy with the runner-up bid if he's still interested.

weak!

Why not go back to having the summer Olympics held permanently in Greece every 4 years? Greece could use the money and everyone watches the games in glorious HD or 4k TV anyway.

So they got this megalomanic project on false promises, and now they find out that the bit off more then they can chew. No surprise.

No roof, eh? Let's hope it rains heavily on opening ceremony day. Or a typhoon.

Folding seats won't be a bad idea since they can sell it afterwards as a memorabilia and use that money to install what should have been...

With time running out, Japan to scale back stadium for 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Should've kept the 1964 stadium. It was functioning just fine, and moreover it was a symbol of history.

All Olympic Games should be held in Greece. A permanent venue at Olympia on land given by Greece and financed by all member countries. Then the ever repeating corruption, scandals and money wasting involved with each bidding and winning nation will end.

Not Abe but Mori pushed. Abe had stomach problem yet then.