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 But now, as the Japanese capital moves to leap from bid to
building a year after winning the games, the optimism is ebbing.
The National Stadium, built when Japan hosted the Olympics in 1964,
symbolizes the woes. Set to be demolished two months ago for a sleek
new venue, it stands empty, its seats ripped out, waiting for a deal
to bring the wrecking ball.
The city won the Games over Madrid and Istanbul by emphasizing
Japan's organizational strengths and $4.5 billion in the bank. The
rejoicing over the victorious bid on Sept. 7 last year - Sept. 8 in
Japan - coincided with a surge of optimism over Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe's economic revival plans.
Abe put his personal prestige on the line with a vow to the
International Olympic Committee (IOC) to put on the best Games ever.
But now, even as "Abenomics" appears to be sputtering, the Olympics
face ballooning costs, angry environmentalists and a fading vision
of a cosy, downtown event.
"With the rivals we had, and evidence of problems for the games in
Sochi and Rio, there was a sense in the IOC that they wanted the
Olympics held by a place that had its act together," said Hitoshi
Sakai, chief executive of the Institute for Social Engineering think
tank.
Instead, even demolition of the National Stadium - which half a
century ago was filled with the roars of a triumphant crowd at the
kindling of the Olympic flame for the 1964 Summer Games – has gone
through two rounds of failed bidding.
COMPACT GAMES, SOARING COSTS
Central to Tokyo's promises was that nearly all the competition
venues would be within 8 km (5 miles) of the Olympic Village.
But construction and labor costs have soared due to rebuilding after
a March 11, 2011, tsunami, and a rise in consumption tax from 5 to 8
percent this April was not factored in to budgets, a Tokyo
government official said.
Planners allotted $1.5 billion for venues in the bid but that
estimate more than doubled late last year after re-calculations.
Budget worries may mean plans for a new basketball arena are dropped
and the competition might be shunted 25 km (15 miles) outside Tokyo
to an existing venue, although "sustainability" is being cited as
the reason.
The yacht races may have to move some 27 km (17 miles) to the east,
because the original venue is within the approach zone to Haneda
Airport and helicopters need to fly above the races to film them.
Any such changes require approval of international sporting
federations, which may be less than pleased.
"We have always been impressed by the proposals for sailing ... in
particular the compact nature of the venue and the close proximity
to the other sports venues and Olympic village," Jerome Pels, chief
executive of the International Sailing Federation, said in an email.
Sakai said organizers had to stick to their pledges.
"No matter how much it ends up costing, it's a public, international
promise to hold a compact Olympics. Japan has to keep its promises,"
said Sakai.
Organisers said there is nothing to worry about.
"Tokyo will complete its preparations to deliver a well-organized
Games with plenty of time to spare," Hidetoshi Fujisawa, Tokyo 2020
executive director of communications and engagement, said in an
email to Reuters.
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"During the bid, the team ... prepared the best plan they could. Now, the
Tokyo 2020 organising committee is reviewing this plan with an emphasis
on the operational details."
Tokyo Governor Yoichi Masuzoe told a news conference that it was not a
question of distance but travel time. He also noted that Tokyo
Disneyland was not in Tokyo but still bore the city's name, so
out-of-town venues would be fine.
"Costs could increase by 30, 40, even 50 times. Can you persuade the
voters to pay this kind of money?" he asked.
Rising costs don't always mean a disastrous Games.
Costs for London's 2012 Olympics surged to more than 9.3 billion pounds
($14.6 billion), more than three times the initial estimate, but the
Games were deemed a success.
GOING GREEN, FOR THE BIRDS?
In Tokyo, sustainability is also a buzzword for corporations such as
Panasonic, eager to showcase new technology in 2020, much of it
eco-friendly.
But environmentalists fear the Games will damage rare green areas in one
of the world's most crowded cities.
At highest risk is a seaside park proposed as the site of the canoe and
kayak slalom. It features pine forests and a bird sanctuary where up to
50,000 migratory birds - some of them endangered - gather each year.
"They're talking about making this a real 'hospitality' Olympics," said
Nobuya Iida, head of the Tokyo Wild Bird Society, referring to another
mantra of the Tokyo bid.
"But how does destroying nature equal hospitality?"
The 300-metre long course would require cutting down most of the trees
and having 13,000 tonnes of water rocketing through each second, at
speeds of 2 metres a second. Rules require fresh water, which would be
trucked from far inland and then released into the sea - possibly
damaging the wetlands ecosystem.
Six years of protests, petitions, and letters to the IOC may be having
an impact. Masuzoe has mentioned changing the site to one nearby, and it
was also discussed when IOC Vice President John Coates visited Tokyo in
June.
"We're at a real turning point," Iida said.
"But the city still hasn't concretely proposed a change. So we're
waiting."
(Additional reporting by Jiro Minier; Editing by William Mallard and
Robert Birsel)
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