Tokyo 2020 venues going ahead as per schedule: IOC

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Tokyo, December 11: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is sure of Tokyo organisers completing their 2020 Olympic venues on schedule.

After bungling the rollout of the showpiece Olympic stadium two years ago, local organisers had come under scrutiny, but last month unveiled their first new permanent venue for the 2020 Olympics in a welcome public relations boost.

The new national stadium is set to be completed by November, 2019 after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe tore up the original blueprints over its eye-watering $2 billion price tag.

But the IOC's Games coordination commission chairman John Coates backed Tokyo 2020 to deliver the venue on time during the start of a three-day visit.

"It was a significant accomplishment to complete the first permanent venue," he said before a meeting with key Japanese officials, including Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike and Olympics Minister Shunichi Suzuki.

"There are six other venues under way and with the progress of the national stadium, we are very confident of meeting the delivery dates you've set."

Other items on the agenda in Tokyo this week are security, efforts to further reduce the $12 billion Games budget and anti-doping protocols, officials said.

Coates noted further progress with last week's shortlist of three Tokyo 2020 mascot candidates.

Schoolchildren from across Japan will vote on the winner by the end of February and Coates said the new sports approved for Tokyo 2020 -- including skateboarding, sports climbing and BMX freestyle cycling -- would bring some street cred to the Games.