New Tokyo Olympic Stadium To Be Completed Two Months Earlier Than Planned

The IOC said that the new stadium for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games "will be completed two months earlier than planned to allow organizers time to stage more test before the games," according to Jim Armstrong of the AP. Japanese organizers told IOC VP John Coates during a two-day IOC "project review" that "the completion date would be moved" from Jan. '20 to Nov. '19. That "still won't be in time for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, which will be staged in Japan" from Sept. 20-Nov. 2, '19. Work on the stadium "fell behind when the government abandoned an earlier design by architect Zaha Hadid because of spiraling costs, sending organizers back to the drawing board." As a result, Rugby World Cup organizers "had to scrap plans to use the new national stadium as the center piece for their tournament" (AP, 1/22).