The Tokyo Metropolitan Government gave the IOC "a false estimate for the cost of construction work on a rowing and canoe-kayak (sprint) venue for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics two years ago, to obtain the IOC's approval to hold the events there during the Tokyo Games," according to THE MAINICHI.
Tokyo metro government documents "clearly indicate that construction of a rowing and canoe-kayak venue" for the Games is expected to cost 25.1B yen ($241.6M), with total building and maintenance expenses to reach 49.1B yen ($472.6M). However, the Tokyo government told the IOC that permanent facilities would only cost 9.8B yen ($94.3M) to build. A senior Tokyo Metropolitan Government official said,
"The IOC pointed out that our expenses were too high, so we gave them an unfounded figure." When Tokyo was bidding for the 2020 Games, the Sea Forest Waterway was estimated to cost 6.9B yen ($66.4M), but in a later calculation carried out in Sept. '13, the cost was reset at 103.8B yen ($999.2M). According to sources close to the case, the IOC "expressed alarm that the cost had ballooned to over 15 times the initial estimate, and requested that the Tokyo Metropolitan Government keep its expenses down" to 10B yen ($96.2M) or less (THE MAINICHI, 10/18).
HELPING OUT: KYODO wrote the IOC "is considering holding rowing and canoe events at the 2020 Olympics in South Korea in the event of Tokyo's original venue plan falling apart." Sources said that if the rowing/canoe sprint site "is shifted from Sea Forest Waterway in Tokyo Bay, the IOC is looking into the Chungju Tangeum Lake International Rowing Center as a backup solution to keep the Games compact and the budget under control." IOC President Thomas Bach: "I will not comment on any kind of rumor." The Korean Olympic Committee said that it had "not been in contact with Tokyo Olympic organizers regarding this matter," though it is willing to cooperate should it be tipped to help (KYODO, 10/18).
