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The host nation of the 2020 Summer Olympics, Japan has officially unveiled the National Stadium, which will be the main venue for the multi-sporting extravaganza held every four years.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe formally unveiled the final look of the 60,000 capacity stadium which will host the opening and closing ceremonies as well as the track and field events during the 2020 Summer Olympics.
The new stadium has been built on the same site as the former national stadium that was used for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. It has a structure with five floors above the ground and two floors below, with green coverage ensured with plants to have shade to counter the scorching summer weather in Tokyo. The stadium has been incorporated with eight mist spraying facilities, has 16 air-conditioned lounge rooms and a total of 185 fans.
Renowned architect Kengo Kuma was entrusted with the designing of the National Stadium and he has included elements of Japanese architecture in the final outcome, with wooden eaves and lumber to help blend the structure into the local central Tokyo surroundings.
The stadium has been built with a massive budget of $1.44 billion, an improvement from the earlier scrapped project proposed by Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid which had the budget going beyond $2 billion. The height of the stadium was changed from the initial height of 70 metres to a revised 47 metres after it was criticised for potentially damaging the Tokyo skyline.
The National Stadium is currently not open to the public and will witness the first piece of sporting action on December 21 when former Olympics sprinting champion Usain Bolt will hit the athletic track for a special exhibition relay event. On New Year's Day 2020, the first competitive sporting event will take place at the stadium with the final of the Emperor's Cup Football Cup.
The Tokyo Summer Olympics will commence on July 24, 2020, and will go on till August 9, 2020.
