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 Commission chairman John Coates headed the visit, which was the
first working-level talks between the Tokyo organizing committee and
the IOC's coordination body.
"We're very, very impressed and very pleased with the progress to
date, and look forward to working with Tokyo 2020 in what, so far as
I'm concerned, is a partnership," Kyodo news quoted Coates as
telling reporters in Tokyo on Friday.
He described as "realistic and achievable" the earmarked revenue
streams that will be needed to cover the estimated $3.4 billion
Games budget.
Coates and other IOC officials toured existing venues and were taken
to sites that have been marked out for new venue construction.
"At this stage I don't see any challenges — what I see is
opportunities in terms of the legacies that can be left in
encouraging more Japanese to participate in sport," Coates said.
The coordination commission will assist Tokyo as it builds towards
the 2020 Games, serving as a link between the IOC and the local
organizing committee.
Coates also commented on local organizers appointing 10 women to the
34 member executive board and called for more work to be done to
bring more diversity in Olympic preparations.
Tokyo pitched a financially solid bid to revamp part of the city
with the slogan 'Discover Tomorrow' and the pledge to create a new
generation of young Olympic fans in the sports-mad nation.
However, Tokyo 2020 president Yoshi Mori had to fend off suggestions
earlier this year that organizers were a Japanese-only-speaking
ageing male club.
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Mori said organizers and the coordination commission were on the
same page.
"Team Coates and Team Mori are on the same vessel for the next six
years, and will continue to row in the direction of 'Sport for
Tomorrow' as advocated by the Japanese government," Mori said.
Coates added that while discussions did not include the possibility
of baseball and softball being brought back to the Olympic program
for the Tokyo Olympics, he said the issue was "on the table" and a
decision should be made by the IOC's extraordinary session in
December.
(Writing by Peter Rutherford in Seoul; Editing by John O'Brien)
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