TOKYO (AP) – Tokyo Governor Yoichi Masuzoe on Wednesday defended his call to cut costs by relocating some venues for the 2020 Olympics, even if it threatens plans for having almost all the facilities close to the athletes village.
Tokyo won the right to host the 2020 Olympics last year with a promise to deliver a compact games, with 28 of the proposed 33 competition venues within five miles (8 kilometers) of the village.
But Japanese Olympic organizers said they are reviewing their venue plans because of concerns over rising costs. Japan has already informed the International Olympic Committee about its intention to review and revise its plans.
According to reports in the Japanese media, organizers are considering moving some venues to locations as far away as Saitama, which is part of the Greater Tokyo Area but an hour away from central Tokyo.
“Even if a venue is 100 kilometers (60 miles) away you can still achieve a maximum travel time of 30 minutes if the transportation system if appropriate,” Masuzoe told a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan.