Japan announces Olympic stadium proposal decision

Japan has selected a design submitted by a consortium led by Taisei Corp for a New National Stadium, set to be the centerpiece of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Tuesday (December 22).

An original design was scrapped after ballooning costs soared to $2.1 billion, nearly twice original estimates. The Japan Sports Council unveiled designs submitted by two groups earlier this month.

“Today, I have received the results from the JSC (Japan Sport Council) that proposal A has been chosen. We have checked that the decision was made properly at the relevant ministers meeting,” Abe said at a meeting in which the proposals were discussed.

The unsuccessful Design B, reportedly submitted by Takenaka Corp, Shimizu Corp and Obayashi Corp, would have cost 149.7 billion yen, only slightly more than the successful Plan A bid.