A high-level Tokyo 2016 delegation is in Berlin to attend the IAAF World Championships 2009

Berlin (Germany), 16 August 2009 – A high-level Tokyo 2016 delegation is attending the IAAF World Championships in Berlin (15-23 August 2009). Hosting the event is the Berlin Olympiastadion, which mirrors Tokyo 2016’s pledge to host the most sustainable Games ever, minimizing construction costs while maximizing sustainability, thanks to best possible use of existing facilities. Tokyo 2016 will use a balanced mix of existing and brand new facilities, thus generating a 100-year legacy in the heart of Japan dynamic Capital.

Dr. Ichiro Kono, Chair and CEO of Tokyo 2016, declared: “We are thrilled to join the world best athletes in the Berlin Olympic Stadium today. Major international sport events have been hosted on this site since the early 20th century. This reinforces us in our vision to maximize the use of existing facilities in Tokyo, transforming them in cutting-edge sport facilities to offer the best possible conditions for athletes to achieve their best performances. By showing how to keep the legacy alive, Tokyo 2016 will showcase the fantastic benefits of the Olympic Movement in the long term.”

Tokyo 2016 will leave an extraordinary physical legacy of sport venues in the heart of the city. Some 23 of our 34 competition venues already exist, including the iconic Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games legacy venues which are in daily use. Seventeen existing venues will be upgraded with minor modifications for the Games and beyond, while the six other sport sites, including the Tatsumi International Swimming Centre, will be completely rebuilt into cutting-edge facilities that will allow elite athletes to reach their peak performances.

Of the 11 other new venues that will be constructed for the Games, five permanent venues – including the Olympic Stadium – will remain in their locations as a permanent legacy for sport in central Tokyo. Six temporary venues will also be relocated or recycled following the Games.

Dr. Ichiro Kono added: “Tokyo 2016 will offer a major sporting legacy to Japan, the growing Asian region and beyond. The brand-new, 100,000 seat, renewable energy-powered Olympic Stadium that will be built if Japan’s dynamic capital is awarded the 2016 Games, would host the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Athletics and Football Men’s Final before becoming an 80,000 Seat IAAF Class 1 Athletics and Home of football.”

For the maximum benefit of athletes, the world’s largest city is offering the most compact Games plan in history, with 97% of venues within an 8km radius of the Olympic Stadium and Olympic Village located in the very heart of Tokyo, surrounded by greenery and Bay waterfront. Transport will be clean and efficient, while facilities will be state-of-the-art and make use of the latest pioneering technology that Japan is famous for. Athletes can feel comfortable to enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime Olympic or Paralympic experience in one of the safest cities in the world.

Built on the site of the stadium proposed for the 1916 Olympic Games, the Berlin Olympic Stadium hosted the 1936 Olympic Games before being renovated twice in 1974 and 2006. It is the home of Bundesliga Club Hertha BSC Berlin. It was also used for 3 matches in the 1974 FIFA World Cup and hosted six matches, including the final, in the 2006 FIFA World Cup and every year hosted the Football German Cup final and the IAAF Golden League final.

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For further information, please contact:
Masa Takaya (Mr), Manager, International Communications, Tokyo 2016
+81-3-5320-2480,
+81(0) 90 6548 6102 (mobile),
masanori.takaya@tokyo2016.or.jp