Tokyo’s 2020 Olympic stadium begins construction at last

Over a year ago, the Tokyo Olympic Committee ditched the stadium design of Zaha Hadid among outcry over the building’s $2 billion price tag (and its visual similarities to a futuristic toilet). With less than four years until the opening of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, construction has finally begun on the replacement design by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. If finished on its current schedule, the wood-latticed building, estimated to cost $1.29 billion, would be completed near the end of November in 2019.

"I believe, after four years, many athletes will challenge their physical limits at this stadium and empower spectators and the society," said Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the groundbreaking ceremony.

The stadium will rise on the same site as the stadium for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics—the first such event held in Asia. The cost of the ‘64 Games has been estimated at roughly $282 million in today’s dollars. That’s a far cry from the rapidly rising cost of the 2020 Olympics, which organizers now believe will reach $30 billion.

Via: Yahoo Sports