(Construction) - The opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympic Games will be held on July 23.
Although the games have been postponed for a year, the construction of the National Stadium, the main venues of the games, the Tokyo Aquatics Center, and many other new facilities are proceeding as initially planned. The venues where athletes from all over the world will demonstrate their abilities will finally be unveiled.
The National Stadium, which will serve as the venue for the opening ceremony, was constructed with approximately 2,000 cubic meters of lumber under the concept of a "forest stadium," and planted with trees. The lumber for the exterior was procured from 47 prefectures. It has a total floor space of 192,000 square meters, with two underground floors and five above ground floors and accommodate approximately 68,000 people. Construction began in December 2016. A total of about 1.5 million people worked on the construction, which was completed in November 2019.
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| Tokyo Olympic Games |
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the host city of the Games, also worked on the construction of the venues. Six facilities were constructed as permanent facilities that will continue to be used after the event, including the Tokyo Aquatics Center and the Ariake Arena. The facilities are expected to play a role as a base where the citizens of Tokyo can enjoy sports while inheriting the legacy of the Olympics.
At a regular press conference on July 16, ahead of the opening of the Games, Governor Yuriko Koike of Tokyo said that the city has been preparing for the Olympics "as if we were running a marathon," as well as preventing the spread of the new coronavirus. She also stressed the significance of holding the Olympics, saying that if, depending on the status of the infection, it becomes possible to watch the games on site, "it will be a memory for the children for the rest of their lives. (2021/07/21)
The Daily Engineering and Construction News of Japan
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