A source with the 2020 Games organizers said Thursday that temporary structures for the new National Stadium that will serve as the main venue for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics are "expected to cost more than double the estimate presented during the bidding," according to KYODO. The overlay expenses that will come in addition to the costs to construct the main, permanent structure are "likely to amount to about" 10B yen ($87M), while the anticipated spending indicated in the bid was 3.8B yen ($33.1M), according to the source. The latest estimate includes costs to build a subtrack site that is "needed as a practice area for Olympians competing in athletic events, and the source noted that it is not yet clear whether the subtrack will be considered as temporary" (KYODO, 3/9).
REBUILDING PLAN: KYODO also noted the Japan FA on Thursday "adopted an action plan that focuses on helping Fukushima Prefecture continue its recovery" from the March '11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters. The prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, is home to the J-Village football training center which has been used "as the forward base for dealing with the tsunami-triggered accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant but will end its services at the end of March." The JFA will "also draw up a plan to reopen the JFA Academy's Fukushima school locally to promote player development" (KYODO, 3/9).
