japan running news

Parties involved in the situation confirmed this week that the Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group is in the final stage of acquiring naming rights to the National Stadium in Shinjuku, Tokyo effective 2026. The contract is estimated to be worth ¥2 billion per year (~$13 million USD), with a total value of ¥10 billion (~$65.5 million USD) over the contract's 5-year term. It will be the largest domestic stadium naming rights deal in Japanese history. According to an involved source, the stadium's name will include the MUFG acronym but is likely to retain the current "National." Mitsubishi UFJ will become involved in the stadium's management, seeking to increase customer interaction through events and other plans. The National Stadium, the main venue for the 2021 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, was privatized in April this year and is operated by the Japan National Stadium Entertainment group, a management firm jointly held by NTT Docomo, J. League and other entitie...

A source with the JAAF revealed on Oct. 28 that the organization plans to hold the men's and women's 10000 m National Championships races at Tokyo's New Olympic Stadium. The two races will be staged May 9 the day before the Seiko Golden Grand Prix meet. The rest of the 2020 National Championships will take place June 25 through 28 at Osaka's Yanmar Stadium Nagai. As at this year's Nationals, the 10000 m will be held earlier in order to give athletes the maximum opportunity to perform well in both it and the 5000 m. It is hoped that the opportunity to race in the Olympic Stadium will provide valuable experience that will help athletes deliver their best in the Olympic main event itself. source article: https://www.jiji.com/jc/article?k=2019102801176&g=spo translated by Brett Larner photo © 2019 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/news/1533117.html translated by Brett Larner At last week's third meeting of the New National Stadium Construction Plan Inquiry Committee investigating the problems surrounding the plans for the New National Stadium that will form the main venue for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, it was revealed that the plans did not account for space in which to store materials to be used in the on-site assembly of the keel arch and other key elements of the stadium.  The fact came to light through testimony from Japan Sports Promotion Center (JSC) president Ichiro Kono and others during the hearing. The JSC described the problem as stemming from the fact that there is no available land which can be used freely in the Gaien area around the stadium site, where the city of Tokyo, the Meiji Jingu Outer Gardens, JSC and other landowners all hold stakes.  In response to the Committee's question, "Where were you planning to store all the ...

http://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1029669/japanese-government-confirm-new-tokyo-stadium-plans-with-january-2020-target-completion-date

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/society/news/2015/08/20/kiji/K20150820010967890.html translated by Brett Larner Speaking about the forthcoming new plans for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Stadium on Aug. 19, former Hakone Ekiden star turned marathon broadcast commentator Tetsuhiko Kin made several proposals for the plans in response to a request from Tokyo Olympic Committee member Toshiaki Endo , saying, "If the softball field and tennis courts are relocated, the space can be used in a more flexible way including the building of a sub-track."  With regard to when to hold the 2020 Olympic marathons, Kin advised, "A start around 6:00 a.m. when temperatures are lower is the most realistic."

http://www.sanspo.com/sports/news/20150801/oly15080100090001-n1.html translated and edited by Brett Larner After withdrawing plans for the 2020 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games main stadium in Shinjuku, Tokyo due to criticism of the plans' massive costs, the government has revealed that it is eliminating one of the plan's key features, movable electric seating, from consideration for inclusion in revised plans.  Involved sources cited a reduction in construction costs as the reason.  The retractable roof covering the field will likewise be eliminated. It was also announced that a permanent sub-track, used for track and field athletes to prepare and warm up for their events, would also not be included, making it clear that the conventional alternative of a temporary sub-track would be the firm policy for whatever future plan is selected for the stadium.  It is thus evident that the function of the New National Stadium under forthcoming plans will be greatly reduced...

http://www.zaha-hadid.com/2015/07/28/new-national-stadium-tokyo-japan-statement-by-zaha-hadid-architects/

Tokyo Governor Yoichi Masuzoe looks to assign blame for failure of Olympic Stadium plans, saying current leadership shares "the same system of irresponsibility like that which once characterized the Japanese Imperial Army.”: http://shingetsunewsagency.com/tokyo/?p=1522 新国立競技場、政府は抜本的見直しをするという。6月29日に下村大臣が政府最終決定を発表してから3週間も経っていない。このような事態に至ったのは誰の責任か？ミスを重ねた文科省の役人一人の首もとれないのか？A、I氏など、皆、自分は悪くないと自己弁護。大日本帝国陸軍と同じ無責任体制。 — 舛添要一 (@MasuzoeYoichi) July 17, 2015

http://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1028851/japan-to-hold-new-international-design-competition-to-choose-stadium-for-tokyo-2020

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2015/07/21/kiji/K20150721010773500.html an editorial by Kenji Fujiyama translated by Brett Larner With a crack of the whip from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe , the controversial plans for the 2020 Olympic Stadium that have generated a storm of criticism have gone back to the drawing board.  Underlying Abe's decision, the news that the project's wasteful $2 billion+ USD price tag has disappeared is glad tidings indeed.  But the price was not the only problem with the plans. Official JAAF-certified athletics facilities are classified into four categories, with the World Championships and other major international events requiring the highest level facilities within that categorization.  Absolutely essential for a facility to receive the highest level of certification is the presence of an auxiliary track, known as a sub-track.  With no sub-track included in the plans for the 2020 Olympic Stadium, after the Olympics the JAAF woul...

http://www.nikkan-gendai.com/articles/view/sports/161704 translated by Brett Larner One after another, Japan's athletes have raised their voices in opposition to the current $2 billion+ USD plans for the New National Stadium.  Writing on his website, two-time World Championships 400 m hurdles medalist Dai Tamesue , 37, brought up what he called "three points of opposition to the current plans" for the stadium.  Tamesue cited the lack of a subtrack, the massive economic burden the stadium plans will create, and the resulting feeling this burden will create among the general population that sports are something they have been saddled with. Two-time Olympic marathon medalist Yuko Arimori , 48, a spokesperson and public figurehead for the Olympic bid, also spoke out passionately against the plans at a public symposium, crying openly as she said, "Speaking as just a single athlete, I would never want to see the Olympics turned into something that would make peopl...

http://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1027838/tokyo-2020-leaders-unveil-new-round-of-venue-changes-but-bach-wants-national-stadium-issues-resolved

http://www.insidethegames.biz/olympics/summer-olympics/2020/1025974-construction-on-new-tokyo-olympic-stadium-set-to-begin-in-october-as-demolition-on-1964-arena-begins

http://www.asahi.com/articles/ASG5Q4FX5G5QUTQP01J.html translated by Brett Larner Set to be rebuilt for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, the National Stadium's seats and other equipment are to find new life in sports facilities all across the country.  In response to requests from more than ten municipalities nationwide, the Japan Sports Promotion Center (JSC), managers and operators of the National Stadium, will donate the facility's equipment free of charge.  The list of recipients was announced on May 28. The equipment to be distributed includes the National Stadium's signature orange plastic chairs, crowd control fencing, and lounge furniture.  The JSC is also looking at putting the soccer pitch's turf and the stadium's extra seats up for sale.  As the site of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and the place where the drama of countless famous soccer and rugby matches unfolded, a JSC official commented, "We want to make sure the National Stadium's hi...