The IOC said that it saw "positive strides in Tokyo's preparations" for the 2020 Games despite "embarrassments" such as scrapping its logo and plans for its new Olympic Stadium "due to anger over ballooning costs," according to Elaine Lies of REUTERS. The mishaps, which have left a "gaping hole in the ground where Japan's former National Stadium stood and a badly delayed building schedule," have also "blackened Japan's reputation" as a place that can get things done -- a reputation that helped it win the hosting rights for the Summer Games two years ago. But IOC VP John Coates said that "all was going well and they saw positive strides." Coates: "It's clear to us that in the two days we've had here that the close relationship between all of the parties for the preparation of your games is going from strength to strength." Asked about the Olympics logo, which was scrapped "after plagiarism accusations arose," he said that it had been discussed and he was "impressed" by the "openness of the new selection process" (REUTERS, 10/14). The AP's Jim Armstrong reported Coates is pleased with the "balanced package" of proposed additional sports for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and expects that skateboarding will "soon be represented" by a single int'l federation to push its case for inclusion in the Games. Baseball-softball, surfing, skateboarding, karate and sports climbing were recommended for inclusion last month by the Tokyo organizing committee. Coates said, "Our reaction is that it's a very good balanced package. We have traditional sports, innovative new sports that appeal to the youth of the world. We have outdoor sports, indoor sports. It's the assessment of the package as a whole that is very important" (AP, 10/14).
