The Japanese government has scrapped controversial plans for a dramatic Zaha Hadid-designed $2bn stadium envisioned as the focal point of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, amid concern about rising costs and a growing public backlash.
The move sparked an immediate response from world rugby’s governing body, which was scheduled to host the 2019 World Cup final in the stadium and will now no longer be able to do so. It said it was “very disappointed” at the decision and would need to consider its options.
“We have decided to go back to the start on the Tokyo Olympics-Paralympics stadium plan, and start over from zero,” said the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, after a meeting at his office with Yoshiro Mori, chairman of the Tokyo 2020 organising committee. Organisers had already decided to scale back the original designs but they will now be scrapped altogether.
“I have been listening to the voices of the people and the athletes for about a month now, thinking about the possibility of a review,” he added. “We must go back to the drawing board. The cost has just ballooned too much.”
He said he had taken the decision after being reassured that there was still time to draw up new plans and complete the new stadium, on the site of the existing national stadium, before the 2020 Olympics. London began building its Olympic stadium in 2007, five years before the Games.
The ambitious design by the award-winning Iraqi-British architect Hadid, likened to a bike helmet, was due to not only host the opening game and final of the 2019 Rugby World Cup but also the 2020 Olympics and then become the new national stadium.
It was a key part of the bid that triumphed over Istanbul and Madrid in 2013 to win the right to host the 2020 Games. But the government has faced growing criticism as the estimated cost for the stadium almost doubled from original estimates to 252bn yen (£1.3bn).
The prime minister said he had obtained the consent of Mori, a former PM, and instructed the sports and Olympics ministers to conduct a review and draw up a new plan.
World rugby’s governing body immediately hit out at the decision and said it would seek urgent clarification of the plans for the 2019 World Cup, awarded as part of a push to grow the sport in new markets.
“World Rugby is extremely disappointed by today’s announcement that the new national stadium will not be ready to host Rugby World Cup 2019 matches, despite repeated assurances to the contrary from the Japan Rugby 2019 organising committee and Japan Sports Council,” said a spokesman.