Tokyo 2020 emblem comes under scrutiny for resemblance to existing Belgian logo

It is the decision to scrap-due mostly, but not entirely, to its exorbitant cost-the heretofore confirmed and highly touted (not least in presentations to the worldwide Olympic Committee) super modernist design for the main stadium for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, perilously sending the design and the project “back to the drawing board”.

“Our warning was not heeded that selecting contractors too early in a heated construction market, and without sufficient competition, would lead to an overly high estimate of the cost of construction”, the architects said in a lengthy statement issued from their London office on Tuesday.

While education and sports minister Hakubun Shimomura equivocally told a news conference Tuesday that Kubo quitting was part of a regular reshuffling of personnel by the government, but was also his own choice to “humbly accept criticism”, those close to the matter said he was ousted as a scapegoat to account for the ongoing stadium debacle, to appease a public staunchly opposed to the Games’ ballooning costs, yet also dubious about governmental flip-flops. The Japanese people, Government and design teams in Japan and the UK have invested a huge amount of time, effort and resources to deliver an adaptable design that can meet the brief and budget set by the Government for a new National Stadium.

“He gave us encouragement … that the Olympic stadium will be completed in time for the Games. There is higher cost and we will focus on cost reduction”, he said.

“Prior to the selection of this design, the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee conducted long, extensive and global verifications through a transparent process”.

In the coming weeks we also plan to share, in Japan and across the global design community, the many innovative solutions achieved through the years of work and investment that has gone into the design for the National Stadium. “We had a commitment from USOC for an Olympic candidature for 2024”. “What we need is a state-of-the-art stadium for athletes and spectators, and I’m sure we will get it”.

“You can be sure there will no exaggerated requirements”, Bach added. Still up in the air is the location of the indoor cycling velodrome. The UCI has resisted Japanese proposals to move cycling from Tokyo to Izu, about 130 kilometers (80 miles) outside the capital.

An worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) official told NHK similar problems had arisen before, most recently with the logo for the 2016 Rio Games.

Earlier, Japanese government spokesman Yoshihide Suga declined to make a formal comment, insisting officials had exercised due diligence prior to unveiling the logo last week. “Given the fact that the organizing committee has acknowledged these challenges, we are very confident they will have great games in one year from now”.