5 great stages of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games are just around the corner and from the moment the country learned that it would be selected to be the venue, a series of preparations and restructuring began so that not only the stages but the Olympic Village were in the best conditions for all athletes.

42 sports scenarios have been chosen to host the different disciplines that are carried out in this and of which 27 will be located inside and outside the Japanese capital. In turn, the scenarios are divided into two zones: the Heritage Zone and the Tokyo Bay Zone, while the remaining 15 are in peripheral locations.

The Heritage Zone and the Tokyo Bay Zone are intertwined trying to imitate the infinite symbol, taking into account that the first zone is about the scenarios that were used for the Tokyo Olympic Games in 1964, and the second one represents the future. The above in order to represent the link between the past and present and future Olympic legacy. In addition, the Olympic Village will be located in the area where they intersect.

As Japan Rail Pass explains, “The Heritage Zone will be located in the central business area of Tokyo, northwest of the Olympic Village. It will include 7 places. The Tokyo Bay Zone will be southeast of the Olympic Village and will contain 13 places.”

Preparing now for the arrival of the Olympic Games, we show you the largest meeting places for this important event.

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1. Olympic Stadium

As an ambitious project, the reconstruction of the iconic Tokyo Olympic Stadium began. Completed in November 2019, and inaugurated by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on December 15.

The new stadium, built on the same site as in the previous one, has the capacity to host around 68,000 people, but there is a possibility that for some football matches that will be played in this venue the capacity increased by 80,000.

Designed by the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, the structure has the function of coping with the high temperatures that can be experienced in summer in Japan. In this venue, which cost around 1.4 billion dollars, the opening and closing ceremonies will be held, such as football and athletic events.

2. Yokohama International Stadium (Nissan Stadium)

This stadium is one of the most popular venues in the different sporting events that take place in Japan, as it stands out for being multipurpose. I inaugurated in 1998, it is located in Kanagawa Prefecture and can accommodate 72,327.

In the past, it has been used for the 2002 Soccer World Cup, for the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup, and has been provided to carry out several editions of the FIFA Club World Cup.

It was recently used as one of the places where matches of the 2019 Japan Rugby World Cup were played, given that the scenario they had stipulated for it, the New Olympic Stadium, could not be finished before the event began.

3. Tokyo Stadium (Ajinomoto Stadium)

Opened in March 2011, the stadium has a capacity to house almost 50,000 people, and throughout its years it has been used for concert stages, even as a refuge after the devastating tsunami and earthquake of 2011.

Like the previous scenario, this stadium hosted eight games of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, the most important being the match between New Zealand and Wales for the bronze medal. It is expected that in the Olympics it will be used for football matches, as well as for the modern pentathlon (excluding fencing, which will be held at the Makuhari Messe convention center) and rugby matches.

As a curiosity, it was the first stadium that sold its official name to a commercial brand, so in 2003 it became called Ajinomoto Stadium, a company dedicated to the creation of condiments for food, cooking oil and medicines.

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4. Fukushima Azuma Baseball Stadium

This stadium originally opened in 1986 and has a capacity to accommodate around 30,000 people. As the name implies, it is used more than anything, and despite being designed as a multipurpose scenario, to hold baseball games.

It is located in the city of Fukushima, in the prefecture of Fukushima, and as indicated by the official page of the Olympic Games, “the stadium is part of the Azuma Sports Park, which is divided into four recreational spaces: the Sports Area, the Nature Area, Family Area, and History Area ”. In addition to this, this stadium will organize some matches not only baseball but softball.

5. Tokyo Aquatic Center

This scenario will house 15,000 people and was one of the places that were built exclusively to premiere at the Olympic Games, and it is not for less, because the aquatic competitions also need a good space to be carried out.

The aquatic complex is in the Tatsumi-no-Mori coastal park, and it is expected that after the Olympics, the Aquatic Center will be used to organize national and international competitions. In addition it will also be used for the Paralympic Games and its construction cost ¥ 56.7, about 517 million dollars.