Ambitious Plans For Games At Tokyo

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29832, 26 May 1962, Page 9

Ambitious Plans For Games At Tokyo

'THE FORMER United x States security forces housing centre, Washington Heights, in the centre of Tokyo, will be converted to become the Yoyogi Olympic Village for 1964. The village will be about five minutes by car from the national stadium (where the athletic events will be held), and about 14 minutes from Komasawa Park (venue for wrestling, volleyball, hockey, and football matches). There will be accommodation for about 8000 athletes, and parking apace for 1000 cars. Training facilities for track events, soccer, volleyball, hockey, swimming, and gymnasium sports will be provided. It is expected that the removal of American families to another site will begin this year. Most of the sports facilities will be completed by October 1963, and the national stadium is likely to be finished by August, 1964. Apart from the 8000 athletes who will be competing. an estimated 30,000

tourists, 1500 reporters, 8000 police and fire officers, and a small army of officials and judges will be in attendance. There will also be 300 doctors and nurses, and a musical team of no fewer than 3000.

New roads, hotels, sewerage systems, and street names are to be added in Tokyo's list of requirements. Smog and noise will be disposed of. and interpreters are to be specially trained in foreign languages.

The total cost of preparations is an estimated 11400 million yen (£11,300,000 sterling). New roads, traffic, and interpreters have been acknowledged as some of the more serious problems confronting the Olympic organisers. Officials also said that they hoped an additional day or two would be permitted to allow for better organisation of the Games' programmes. The final decision on the dates will be made when the International Olympic Committee meets in Moscow in June.