Tokyo panel details venue changes, cost cuts for 2020 Games

The rowing and canoeing venue for the 2020 Olympics should either be moved to a site hundreds of kilometres away in northern Japan or downgraded to a temporary facility in Tokyo, a city government cost-cutting panel said today.
The recommendation came as officials of the International Olympic Committee, Tokyo's city government and other key parties gathered to review the cost of the games.
The panel has said the cost of the Tokyo Olympics could exceed USD 30 billion - four times the initial estimate - unless drastic cuts are made.
In a final report presented to Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, the panel said another option is to stick with the original plans for the Sea Forest venue in Tokyo Bay but to find ways of cutting the costs.

Last month, the panel came up with the option of moving rowing and canoeing to the Naganuma site in Tome city, 400 kilometres north of Tokyo. That came after the projected cost for the Sea Forest venue soared to nearly 50 billion yen (USD 480 million), seven times the initial estimate.
Today, the panel of academics and business consultants hand-picked by Koike said moving to Naganuma would be the most cost-efficient solution. Panel chairman Shinichi Ueyama said the Naganuma site is the only realistic out-of-town alternative to the Sea Forest venue, considering the time needed for additional construction and other preparations.

The relocated venue would require up to 20 billion yen (USD 190 million) in construction costs to meet Olympic standards. Additional costs related to security, transportation and other infrastructure could add up further. An earlier cost estimate for the Naganuma site was 35 billion yen (USD 330 million).
Downgrading the Sea Forest venue to a temporary facility could bring the estimated construction and running costs down to 45 billion yen (USD 430 million), the panel said. Alternatively, continuing with the permanent Sea Forest facility could cost about 70 billion yen (USD 670 million), even with further cost-cutting efforts, the report said.

Koike was to present all options in the report to the officials from the IOC, Japanese organizers and the central government during the four-party talks beginning today. The officials are expected to hold several rounds of talks before reaching a conclusion.