TOKYO (CelebrityAccess) – With the 2020 Olympic Games just months away, Tokyo’s New National Olympic Stadium was officially unveiled to the world during a ceremony that took place in Japan’s capital last week.
The venue, which has been dubbed the “living tree,” was designed by renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, with a strong emphasis on environmental awareness. The building’s façade consists of overlapping, multi-layered eaves made of wood gathered from Japan’s 47 prefectures while more than 47,000 medium and small-sized trees were planted within the stadium’s precinct.
The Tokyo Olympic Stadium – which was budgeted at a reported $155 billion yen (approximately $1,415,822,390 USD) and has a max capacity of 80,016 if temporary seating is installed over the athletics track – will be the heart of the 2020 games. However, of all the hundreds of scheduled events, only the arrival of the torch relay for the Opening Ceremony, Closing Ceremony, football and archery will take place inside the venue.
Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto said: “We are so looking forward to seeing athletes from all over the world marching into the new stadium at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games on 24 July 2020 and the Paralympic Games on 25 August 2020, when the eyes of the world will be on this iconic symbol of the Tokyo 2020 Games. We believe the stadium will become an irreplaceable legacy – a place that will allow people to spend healthy and fulfilling days enjoying sport for another fifty years or even longer. With this in mind, we will continue our preparations for hosting the best Games ever.”
Tokyo last hosted the Olympics in 1964.
Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium will host the Emperor’s Cup JFA 99th Japan Football Championship on January 1, 2020.
