Japanese sports chiefs have green lighted Tokyo’s controversial stadium development for the 2020 Olympic Games.

Despite fierce opposition from some of Japan's most prolific architects, including the former Pritzker Prize winner Toyoo Ito, plans for the Tokyo Olympic Stadium have been given the go ahead. The government-affiliated Japan Sport Council have released new design proposals reducing the project's size by more than 20 per cent and cutting the estimated cost to ¥162bn (US$1.58bn, €1.16bn, £0.94bn).

The 2020 stadium, masterminded by Zaha Hadid will now be a downsized version of her original bike helmet-style plan. Tokyo’s current National Stadium is to be dismantled and Hadid’s creation is to be built in its place, increasing the number of seats from 54,000 to 80,000, despite the downsizing of the development overall.

The green-lit proposal shrinks the overall space of the stadium to 222,600sq m (730,314 sq ft) in total. The main areas to be pared down are the media facilities and display rooms. The height of the stadium has also been culled, at its highest point, the building has been reduced from 75m (246 ft) to 70m (230 ft).

If the proposal succeeds, the stadium is expected to be open in 2019 in time for the rugby World Cup and then one year later for the Olympic Games.

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