Tokyo's 2020 Summer Olympics "were meant to be different: compact, on budget and on time," according to Elaine Lies of REUTERS. But now, "as the Japanese capital moves to leap from bid to building a year after winning the games, the optimism is ebbing." The National Stadium "symbolises the woes." Set to be demolished two months ago for a sleek new venue, "it stands empty, its seats ripped out, waiting for a deal to bring the wrecking ball." The city "won the Games over Madrid and Istanbul" by emphasizing Japan's organizational strengths and $4.5B in the bank. But now, "the Olympics face ballooning costs, angry environmentalists and a fading vision of a cosy, downtown event." Central to Tokyo's promises "was that nearly all the competition venues would be within 8 km (5 miles) of the Olympic Village." But a Tokyo government official said that construction and labor costs "have soared due to rebuilding" after a March 11, 2011, tsunami, and a rise in consumption tax from 5-8% this April was not factored in to budgets. Planners allotted $1.5B for venues in the bid "but that estimate more than doubled late last year after re-calculations." Institute for Social Engineering think tank CEO Hitoshi Sakai said that organizers "had to stick to their pledges." Sakai: "No matter how much it ends up costing, it's a public, international promise to hold a compact Olympics. Japan has to keep its promises" (REUTERS, 9/8).
