Interesting article by Maggie Hohle in MODUS Asia (Edition Q1 2015)
Tokyo 1964; Yoyogi National Gymnasium (film)
Film by Vincent Hecht
First Episode of new Architecture Film Collection focus on Japanese 50 to 80’s Architecture Masterpieces.
Project : Yoyogi National Gymnasium – 1964
Architect : Kenzo Tange
Location : Yoyogi, Shibuya, Japan
Filmed & Edited by : Vincent Hecht
Music : Fern and Robin ” – Loscil
Equipments : Canon 5D MkII + 24mm TS-E f/3.5 + 50mm f/1.4 + 100mm f/2.8/+ Konova Slider
Yoyogi National Gymnasium facts and figures
- Designed by: Kenzo Tange
- Built: 1961 – 1964
- Tokyo 1964: Swimming and diving events
- Legacy mode: Ice hockey, futsal and basketball
- Tokyo 2020; Handball
- Seats: 13,291 (9,079 stand seats, 4,124 arena seats and 88 “royal box” seats)
Tokyo 2020; “IPC announces final Tokyo 2020 Paralympic sports programme”
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has announced that the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games will feature 22 sports, with badminton and taekwondo included for the first time.
At its meeting in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on Saturday (31 January), the IPC Governing Board approved a further six sports for inclusion in the Games, adding to the 16 sports that were ratified and announced after its meeting in October 2014. A maximum of 23 sports could have been included for 2020.
The 22 sports that will be included in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games are: athletics, archery, badminton, boccia, canoe, cycling, equestrian, football 5-a-side, goalball, judo, powerlifting, rowing, shooting, sitting volleyball, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, triathlon, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair fencing, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis.
The two sports not included in Tokyo 2020 are football 7-a-side and sailing.
Sir Philip Craven, IPC President, said: “I would like to thank all 24 sports for applying for inclusion in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and pass on my congratulations to the 22 sports that have been approved by the IPC Governing Board. In particular, I’d like to pay testament to the sports of badminton and taekwondo for the work they have undertaken in securing their place at a Paralympic Games for the first time.
“To reach this decision, the IPC undertook the most extensive and rigorous review process ever of all the sports which started in November 2013.
“All were assessed against the same criteria and our aim all along has been to ensure that the final Tokyo 2020 Paralympic sports programme is fresh and features the best para-sports possible.
“The Board’s final decision was not an easy one and, after much debate, we decided not to include two sports – football 7-a-side and sailing – from the Tokyo 2020 programme for the same reason. Both did not fulfil the IPC Handbook’s minimum criteria for worldwide reach.”
The IPC Handbook states only team sports widely and regularly practised in a minimum of 24 countries and three IPC regions will be considered for inclusion in the Paralympic Games and for individual sports a minimum of 32 countries in three IPC regions.
Sir Philip Craven added: “Although the IPC Governing Board approved the inclusion of cycling, it did express serious reservations regarding the sustainability of the track cycling discipline.
“While a decision on the Tokyo 2020 medal events programme will not be made until 2017, the Board encourages the UCI to work towards increasing both the number of high-performance track cyclists and the number of opportunities for them to compete at an international level.”
Hidetoshi Fujisawa, Tokyo 2020 Executive Director of Communications and Engagement, said: “Tokyo 2020 welcomes the announcement made by the International Paralympic Committee Governing Board on 31 January regarding the 22 sports to be included in the sports programme for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
“This final line-up of sports brings us a step closer to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and will help the Organising Committee to further build momentum and excitement in Tokyo, Japan and throughout the entire world.”
Twenty four sports were eligible to apply for inclusion in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
Following the submission of applications from the eligible sports, the IPC management team undertook a rigorous assessment of all applications. Sports were assessed for worldwide participation in terms of countries and continents, where the sport is regularly practiced, quadrennial competition programme, athlete classification, anti-doping programme, rules and regulations, and initiatives undertaken to make their sport more attractive.
On completion of the review process, the IPC management team made recommendations to the IPC Governing Board ahead of their October 2014 meeting in Berlin, Germany, where 16 sports were approved for inclusion.
The eight sports that were not approved at October’s meeting were asked to provide additional information to the IPC addressing issues identified in their applications. This information was reviewed and a further analysis provided to the IPC Governing Board ahead of this week’s meeting.
The IPC Governing Board then decided which of the eight remaining sports should be included in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games which will be held from 25 August – 6 September 2020.
Since the first Paralympic Games in Rome, Italy, in 1960, the Paralympic Games have continued to grow in size and stature. The first Games featured 400 athletes from 23 countries competing in eight sports – archery, athletics, dartchery, snooker, swimming, table tennis, wheelchair fencing and wheelchair basketball.
At London 2012, the Games involved a record 4,237 athletes from 164 countries who took part in 503 medal events across 20 sports. A cumulated global audience of 3.8 billion watched the Games, whilst 2.78 million tickets were sold, making the Paralympics the third-biggest sporting event in the world behind the Olympics and FIFA World Cup.
In 2010, para-badminton, intellectually impaired basketball, para-golf, powerchair football and para-taekwondo all applied to be part of the Rio 2016 Paralympic sports programme but were unsuccessful with the Governing Board instead choosing applications from para-canoe and para-triathlon.
Source: International Paralympic Committee – www.paralympic.org
Tokyo 1964; 50th anniversary of the 1964 Paralympic Games
In six years’ time, Tokyo will become the first city ever to stage the Paralympics for a second time and this 50th anniversary allows us to celebrate how far the Paralympic Games have come since 1964.
International Paralympic Committee
A series of articles by the IPC:
- IPC and Tokyo 2020 to celebrate 50th anniversary of 1964 Paralympics
- The Big Read: Looking back on the Ceremonies of 1964 and 2012
- Fifty years on: revisiting the Tokyo 1964 Paralympics
- 1964-2020: A tour of the past and the future
- Tokyo 1964: developing one of the world’s best transport systems
- Twenty facts about Tokyo 1964 and 2020 Paralympics
- 1964-2012 Games growth and evolution
- Tokyo 2020: a look to the future
- Australian Paralympians reflect on Tokyo 1964
- Athlete’s view: what will be Tokyo 2020’s legacy?
- From part-time exercise, to state-of-the-art training in 50 years
- Fifty years since the Tokyo 1964 Games celebrated
- Yasushi Yamawaki: Tokyo 2020 will be gateway to the future
- IPC confident of success at Tokyo 2020
Videos
Tokyo 2020; Tokyo Olympic stadium: Sports cathedral or white elephant? (BBC News)
…
In Athens, many of the 2004 stadia now stand abandoned and overgrown. Beijing’s hugely expensive 2008 “Bird’s Nest” may have become a tourist attraction, but has been rarely used for anything else.
Even London’s “cheap” 2012 stadium is having a troubled and expensive rebirth as a football arena.
So what lessons has Tokyo taken away from all this? Huge and expensive state-of-the-art stadiums are a bad idea? Apparently not.
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Read full article: BBC News – Tokyo Olympic stadium: Sports cathedral or white elephant?
Tokyo 2020; “Tokyo Hopes Olympic Stadium Is Golden Opportunity, but Some See Red”
Image: Japan Sport
Tokyo Hopes Olympic Stadium Is Golden Opportunity, but Some See Red
‘Symbol of Hope’ or ‘Huge Monster’? Costly Project for 2020 Games Divides City…
Japanese officials say demolition of the old stadium, originally set for July, was delayed after issues arose over the bidding, and now expected to start in December. Construction of the new stadium is scheduled to begin in October 2015, finishing in March 2019.
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Read full article: The Wall Street Journal
Tokyo 2020; Resculpting the face of Tokyo ahead of 2020 Games
A very interesting article about the urban redevelopment in Tokyo ahead of the 2020 Olympics:
With less than six years remaining until the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, which will start July 24 that year, both the public and private sectors have launched urban redevelopment projects in the capital.
Read full article: The Japan News – Resculpting the face of Tokyo ahead of 2020 Games
Tokyo 2020; Sailing venue could be moved
Inside the Games reports that the 2020 sailing venue could be moved due to its location in the approach zone of one of Haneda Airport’s runways.
Read full article: Inside The Games – Tokyo 2020 reviewing “several options” for alternate sailing venue
Tokyo 2020; IOC weighs Tokyo 2020 Olympic venue changes
IOC weighs Tokyo 2020 Olympic venue changes Read the full article on USA Today
Tokyo 2020; smaller design released for new national stadium
The Japan Sport Council has released a basic design proposal for the new National Stadium in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, which will serve as the main stadium for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
The total floor area is about 211,000 square meters, reflecting a reduction of more than 20 percent from the initial design proposal in 2012. The new proposal, released Wednesday, also gives consideration to the protection of the surrounding environment and landscape.
Under the initial proposal, construction was set to cost as much as about ¥300 billion, more than double the original estimate. The project was met with growing criticism for being too large, so parts of the stadium, including aisles, were scaled down and the cost was reduced to about ¥162.5 billion. The new stadium is scheduled to be completed in March 2019.
Source: Japan Sport (PDF)