Gov't to release Olympic stadium construction plans Monday

12 December 2015

Construction plans for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics’ main stadium will be released on Monday by companies bidding to build the Games centerpiece, Olympics minister Toshiaki Endo revealed Friday.

The “technical proposals” from constructors listing details such as the total construction cost, construction period and conceptual drawing will be unveiled, with the government intent on releasing the information to ensure transparency in the selection process.

“They are really carefully drawn up plans and I believe releasing them is a good thing to do to win the support of the public,” said Endo of the move, described as unusual by the government given the selection of constructor is yet to be made.

The names of the bidding constructors will remain under wraps at the plan’s unveiling.

The government in July scrapped the original stadium plan, conceived by Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid, amid public outcry over the cost estimate that nearly doubled the initially projected 130 billion yen. The selection process came under scrutiny for its lack of information disclosure.

The Japan Sports Council, the body in charge of overseeing the project and then operating the stadium, said mid-November that construction is on course to start in early 2017.

 

japantoday.com