TOKYO (AP) Japanese Olympic officials are adhering to plans laid out in their successful bid to host the 2020 Games despite criticism that costs for the main stadium are too high.
Speaking after a two-day orientation seminar with the International Olympic Committee, Japanese Olympic Committee president Tsunekazu Takeda said Friday that plans to build an 80,000-seat stadium are still in place.
Japan is scaling down the cost of the planned main stadium following an uproar from some prominent architects who think it's too big and expensive, but Takeda said that doesn't mean a smaller facility.
"We are aware of the concerns," Takeda said. "But nothing has been decided yet and we still plan to have an 80,000-seat stadium."
The original budget for the stadium, designed by award-winning British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, was 300 billion yen ($3 billion) but Japan's government has said the cost will be scaled down to 130 billion yen ($1.3 billion).