TOKYO (AP) – Two groups competing for the lucrative contract to build the new stadium for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics have disclosed their design proposals.
The Japan Sports Council released the designs on Monday and said the winner will be chosen this month. It did not identify which companies have proposed which designs.
The two designs are more understated than the original plan by British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, which was scrapped due to controversy over its cost and scale.
“We will work to ensure a stadium that will be loved by all,” Kazumi Daito, president of the Sports Council, said in announcing the plans, which he said would put “athletes first” and also emphasize accessibility for the disabled, elderly and children.
Work on the 158 billion yen ($1.3 billion) stadium intended to accommodate up to 80,000 people was delayed by the difficulties over its design, which proved a major embarrassment for local Olympics organizers.