Next Tokyo CoComm Must Tackle Unresolved Details

(ATR) Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori says he is "embarrassed" by the overwhelming "positive evaluation" from the IOC Coordination Commission and now hopes to begin work on smaller details.

Mori addressed the press following the conclusion of the 4th IOC Tokyo 2020 CoComm. He was joined by CoComm chair John Coates, IOC Executive Director Christophe Dubi, and Tokyo 2020 chief executive Toshiro Muto.

"When it comes to details as we discussed there were many things not attended yet and we were not able to come to conclusive points," Mori said in his opening remarks. "As a general direction it was an interesting, exciting direction."

Mori said that the last IOC CoComm meeting felt like it hit a natural stopping point without much productivity. This characterization referenced the fact that following the IOC’s visit the need to completely overhaul the Games’ budget and operational structure became apparent. A four-party working group between the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the national government, Tokyo 2020 and the IOC quickly went to work.

Last month, Tokyo officials presented a new budget and breakdown of responsibilities. This week’s CoComm was the first to operate under the new arrangement. Mori said while this week's discussions were a nice start, there was much work to be done.

The unresolved points brought up during the CoComm focused on the construction of the second Tokyo Ring Road. The road would be located near Tokyo Bay and would connect the Olympic Village to the venues in the area and the IOC hotel.

Construction of the ring road hinges on a number of decisions needed to be taken by Yuriko Koike, the Tokyo Metropolitan Governor. One of those decisions is the potential relocation of the Tsukiji Fish Market.

The ring road, which will contain Olympic lanes, was supposed to function by having a tunnel built under the market, but that plan is no longer viable because of delays in decision making. The TMG told the CoComm that the ring road would be completed, but questions about the project linger, much to the annoyance of Tokyo 2020 leadership. Mori said the CoComm received assurances from the TMG that "concrete plans" for the project will be delivered in December.

Without a finalized plan for the road, Tokyo 2020 must continue to review its transport plans for the Games and adopt contingencies.

Mori said that the CoComm held discussions about the legacy of the National Stadium, with regards to the athletics track, and began exploring the setup for the urban cluster. A decision on a permanent track in the stadium is up to the national government.

Additionally one more venue will be required to host the Olympic football tournament.

Debate on the urban cluster included preliminary discussions for how the sports in the zone would be ticketed and how spectator stands would be arranged. The full set of events to be held in the cluster was not confirmed at the CoComm. Continuing his theme from the night before, Mori suggested a radical shakeup of the traditional Olympic spectator model in regards to the urban cluster.

"Maybe Tokyo 2020 can be the starting point of such a revolutionary idea of changing the general point of the future of the Games," Mori said. "We’d like to have solid consultation with IOC about having such games."

Coates took a more general viewpoint on the discussions, saying to the press that the IOC "listened to remarkable levels of details" from Tokyo and were "with the variety of plans" presented.

Regarding the unresolved details that Mori discussed, Coates told Around the Rings that he doesn’t "think [the CoComm is] creating any difficulties for ourselves," after leaving Tokyo. Coates acknowledged that sites for 3x3 basketball and BMX freestyle have not been determined, but said neither requires a full new venue to be constructed.

One decision that Coates said was completed was a review of the Olympic baseball/softball tournament. Of keen interest in Japan, the tournament saw no changes with the IOC finalizing the original World Baseball and Softball Confederation proposal of two groups of three teams playing at one venue in Yokohama.

Making good on promises from IOC President Thomas Bach and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, two games will be held in Fukushima prefecture. The prefecture was hit the hardest by the aftermath of a 2011 earthquake and tsunami leading to a meltdown of the Fukushima Daishii nuclear plant.

The first game involving the Japanese National Team in both the baseball and softball tournaments will be held in Fukushima, Coates said.

Coates says that the CoComm will continue to work with the organizing committee in reducing the cost of the 2020 Olympics. So far the new budget has the total Games cost, both operational and infrastructure budgets, at $13.6 billion. He said it is "important for the IOC" to see Japanese taxpayers paying less for costs associated with the Games.

"We think without being specific that when the International Federations are involved in the planning of the venues…with their experience there is further savings there, and we are identifying areas in the site where the International Broadcast Center is where there are potential savings," Coates said.

"It is important for the IOC because we want to ensure that these are not only the best Games, but these are the Games that can serve as a model for prudent hosting."

Written by Aaron Bauer in Tokyo

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