The prospect of some events being shifted away from the capital was raised during the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Project Review visit to the Japanese capital in November, with increasing construction costs forcing organisers to rethink plans to build 10 new venues within eight kilometres of the Olympic Village.

This would affect the sporting legacy in Tokyo, a key pledge in the city's successful bid, although IOC vice-president John Coates supported the plans, which prioritised the benefits of saving money and expenditure by holding the events elsewhere, over legacy promises. 

As many as 14 sports could be moved as a result of the changes, insidethegames revealed last month, with rowing and cycling two in which negotiations are underway, while team sports like football, basketball and volleyball are others subject to moves.

IOC Coordination Committee head John Coates has urged Tokyo 2020 to consider holding events further afield ©Tokyo 2020/Shugo Takemi



But, as discussions over what changes will actually occur continue, a full-scale study of how the Olympic and Paralympic legacy should be handled has been underway over the last two months, with the Metropolitan Government having convened a Committee to draw up a "legacy vision".

This Committee, which will consider how venues including the Olympic Village will be used after the Games, will take advantage of a broad range of opinions from private companies and experts.

"To make Olympic facilities places that many people will visit even on weekdays after the Games are over, we must combine them with things like commercial and welfare facilities," Yoshiyuki Mano, a Waseda University lecturer who has studied Olympic legacies, told the Yomiuri Shimbun.

"We must also consider the use of existing facilities that will compete with Olympic facilities when they are completed."

These recommendations could be submitted as early as the end of this month, it is hoped, with more concrete plans to follow based on the ideas expressed, with projecting the success of the London 2012 legacy the ultimate aim. 

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