Japan approved guidelines for its new Olympic stadium, "vowing to build an athlete-friendly stadium as cheaply as possible" and complete it by March '20, a year later than planned, "but without including any cost estimates or limits," according to Elaine Lies of REUTERS. Japan scrapped its original plan for the new National stadium last month in the face of "widespread outrage after costs ballooned" to $2.1B, nearly twice original estimates. The IOC signed off on the decision for the stadium, centerpiece of the 2020 Summer Olympics, "but it has also said it will be part of the new stadium tender to make sure things stay on track." The guidelines approved by PM Shinzo Abe and other officials late on Friday night emphasized keeping costs "as low as possible but included no upper limits or estimates." Plans are for management of the stadium to be "handed over to a private firm once the Olympics are over." Abe: "We should make a structure that will emotionally move people all over the world. Of course, keeping costs down is a priority, and we must make the best, realistic plan we can." An int'l competition will be held to choose a new design later this year, and a decision is due on both design and contractors in January, media reports have said (REUTERS, 8/16).
MEA CULPA: The AFP reported the designer of Tokyo's 2020 Olympics logo has apologized after "admitting that his team traced the designs used for a Suntory promotion campaign, as he faced plagiarism allegations over the Games design." Designer Kenjiro Sano made the apology on Friday after "withdrawing some designs created for the drinks giant following claims that there might be copyright problems." Sano: "Following our in-house investigation, it was found that we traced designs created by a third party for part of our designs" (AFP, 8/15).
