Tokyo organizers of the 2020 Olympics "have been asked to finalize plans for the main stadium" by the IOC after it was confirmed that building costs have almost doubled. IOC President Thomas Bach told the head of the organizing committee "to finalize the plan before an IOC meeting in late July." The Japanese government said on Monday that "it expects the overall costs of building the new National Stadium, also the showpiece venue for the 2019 Rugby World Cup," to soar to $2B, up from the original estimate of $1.3B (AP, 6/30). ... TAM Airlines will be responsible for transporting the Olympic torch as well as being an official sponsor of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. TAM Airlines and TAM Viagens (TAM Travel) have agreed to become sponsors of the Rio 2016 Games. TAM will be the official airline for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and TAM Viagens will be responsible for the 2016 Olympic Games National Hospitality & Travel Programme (Rio 2016). ... European Olympic Committees President Patrick Hickey said that "he expects Azerbaijan's capital Baku to bid for the Olympics after hosting this month's European Games." Officially, the Azerbaijani government said that "it is waiting to analyse its hosting of the European Games," which closed Sunday, before making a decision on an Olympic bid. However, Hickey said that he expects Azerbaijani officials to "announce very shortly that they will be a bidder for the future" (AP, 6/28).
