Japanese Public Favors Tokyo 2020 Review

(ATR) Opinion polls conducted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government show residents support Governor Yuriko Koike’s Olympic review.

Polls conducted on Oct. 8-10 by Japanese media-group NHK show only seven percent of Tokyo residents would not support a "potential revision of Olympic venues." In the same poll, 60 percent of residents say they support a revision, with 24 percent showing no opinion. Two other polls, conducted by JNN and the Yomiuri Shimbun, showed 81 and 85 percent support respectively for venue revisions.

Another poll conducted on Oct. 15-16 by Fuji News Network showed that 51.2 percent of respondents preferred the Nagamura rowing site be used for the 2020 Olympics. Only 17 percent of respondents said they favored the Sea Forest site be used for the Games.

The polls were aggregated in a document compiled by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and seen by Around the Rings. The document outlined the government strategy for reviewing the venues for the 2020 Games.

Inside the document, the TMG said the next step remains a four-way working group between the IOC, TMG, Tokyo 2020, and international federations in late November. Before the working group meets, the TMG would decide to propose streamlining venues or relocating the rowing, swimming, and volleyball venues.

The information from the working group would then be taken into account, before the TMG presents a revised plan to the city council.

Both the International Canoe Federation and World Rowing (FISA) have said that the best solution remains keeping the Sea Forest venue in place. The TMG document estimated the project to cost between $300-490 million, although it notes the true costs "may be lower."

Since taking office in July, Koike has aggressively pursued an audit of the Tokyo 2020 project over fears of rising costs. An independent panel convened by Koike initially suggested the move of the rowing, swimming, and volleyball venues, and warned costs for the Games could reach $30 billion.

International and Japanese sport officials have hit back at the suggestions, emphasizing a review process had already taken place and affirmed commitment to the current plan. IOC President Thomas Bach visited Tokyo last week to meet with Koike and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

After the meeting, Bach expressed support for hosting 2020 Olympic events outside of Tokyo, to promote the development of the region of Japan affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Bach confirmed that multiple sports were discussed being held in the region, but only shared the possibility of baseball games being held in the region.

One of the alternative sites for rowing, the Nagamura course, is located in Miyagi prefecture, which was heavily hit by the earthquake and tsunami.

Bach says the working group for the Tokyo Games is "not a political group," but a technical one reviewing budget figures to find opportunities for saving money.

"It is a group that is a team that will cooperate very closely," Bach said to reporters. "This working group is a technical working group, putting together the figures and putting together the different budgets and then showing how the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 can be organized in the best sustainable and feasible way possible."

Homepage photo: Getty Images

Written by Aaron Bauer

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