Japan's National Stadium to be used for team ball sports after 2020 Olympics

by Khaya South Africa
Jul 28, 2017
2 min read

While it is not uncommon to re-purpose Stadiums which were built for major sporting events, into multi functional venues, ranging from rock concerts to open air churches, a task force for the Japan Sports Agency agreed on Wednesday to use the new National Stadium being built for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics exclusively for team ball sports like soccer and rugby after the games.

The Japan Association of Athletics Federations, which had hoped to have a running track around the field, has also approved the move which places emphasis on profit.

The decision to not make it a multi-purpose venue, as many stadiums are in Japan, is aimed at bringing in a steady stream of revenue to offset the expected high maintenance costs.

Extra seats will be fitted and the capacity of the stadium will increase from 68,000 to around 80,000 after the Olympics.

Government officials are finalizing plans to build seats on top of the running track around the field of the main Olympic stadium, which is scheduled for completion in late November 2019.

The JSA will meet with the Japan Football Association and Japan Rugby Football Union before attempting to rubber-stamp the decision in September.

Future athletics meets such as the world and national championships are on course to be held at Ajinomoto Stadium in suburban Tokyo, which will be renovated to international standards.

Not helping athletics' case is the requirement of a subtrack for major competitions. The National Stadium lacks the space for a nearby subtrack; for the Tokyo Olympics, a temporary facility will be built on the neighboring premises of Jingu Stadium.

*Interesting side note

Japanese officials have selected a wooden lattice design by Kengo Kuma for the new National Stadium in Tokyo, which will be the centrepiece for the 2020 Olympics.
According to local sources, the decision to award the job to Kuma – one of Japan's leading architects – was announced this morning in a government cabinet meeting.
His design had been revealed just days before as one of two finalists in a new competition organised after the Japanese prime minister scrapped plans for a stadium design by British architect Zaha Hadid.
The other design in contention was created by Toyo Ito, another of Japan's most famous contemporary architects.
Both designs had officially been presented anonymously, but commentators were quick to match the names to the schemes based on the style of each architect.
Kuma, who is known for his use of natural materials, created an oval design with a latticed framework that appears to be made at least partly from wood. Circulation areas around the edge of each level also feature plants and trees and exposed terraces.