She also had suggested that Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center in Tokyo’s Koto Ward could be used to spare construction of a new swimming facility in the same ward.īut in a setback for the reform-advocating governor, the metro government has given up on those ideas for technical and financial reasons. Koike had previously suggested that the planned Umi no Mori (Sea Forest) rowing and canoe sprint venue in Tokyo could be scrapped and replaced by the existing Naganuma course in Tome, Miyagi Prefecture, hundreds of kilometers from the capital. She had warned that Japan is facing a shrinking population and expressed concern over future business plans for new facilities. Koike, who was elected in July, pledged to review Olympic budgets during her campaign. She pledged to finish the studies by Christmas Day next month.Ĭoates and Tokyo committee President Yoshiro Mori accepted Koike’s proposal, although Mori suggested Yokohama may be reluctant to host volleyball games there and a decision should be made quickly.ĭuring the same meeting, Koike also said the metro government now planned to hold the rowing and canoe sprint event and swimming competition in two separate new facilities to be built in Tokyo, giving up her earlier plan to use two separate existing venues to cut costs. Meanwhile, Koike asked for more time for feasibility studies on the possible use of Yokohama Arena for volleyball games instead of building a new facility in Tokyo’s Koto Ward. “As far as IOC is concerned, we are extremely pleased with the progress made over the last month toward further cost-savings,” IOC Vice President John Coates told reporters after the meeting.Ĭoates also said the IOC has not yet agreed to the ¥2 trillion budget ceiling pledged by the Tokyo committee, saying he believed the budget can be cut further to “significantly less than that.” Yuriko Koike said the total cost could reach as much as ¥3 trillion, but a breakdown of its estimate has not been made clear. In September a study team under Tokyo Gov. The operational costs of the Olympic Games are mainly financed with broadcasting fees, sponsorship fees and ticket sales, while construction of various facilities as well as security and transportation are mainly covered by the host city and state government.
Still, the latest figure for the Tokyo Games could spark another round of criticism from taxpayers. The committee, however, argued that the 2013 figure is not comparable with the latest estimate because it did not include security and transportation budgets that should be shouldered by the central and local governments, along with certain construction projects to be undertaken by the host city and the central government.Īccording to the metro government, the organizer of the 2012 London Olympic Games likewise estimated total costs at ¥750 billion in its 2005 presentation, but that figure later surged to ¥2.1 trillion when costs for security and transportation were included.
In the 2013 presentation, the total cost was estimated at ¥734 billion.
The total will be less than ¥2 trillion,” Muto said. “We are continuing to scrutinize the budget. Muto said the ¥2 trillion figure is a ceiling for the total budget and that the organizing committee will try to further cut costs, adding that it will submit a final estimate to the IOC next year.