Two new stadium designs unveiled for 2020 Tokyo Olympics

PanARMENIAN.Net - Two new stadium designs have been unveiled for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after organizers controversially scrapped a previous plan, CNN News reports.

"(The winning design) will be selected by the end of December after further examination by a committee consisting of architectural experts and ministers," said Council president Kazumi Daito.

"We want to create a stadium that can be loved by everyone in the world."

Two new stadium designs have been unveiled for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after organizers controversially scrapped a previous plan.

A winner will be chosen later this month, the Japan Sports Council said in a statement.

In July, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that the government was ditching Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid's "bike helmet" stadium design, which had been projected to cost 150 billion yen ($2.02 billion).

Abe said the scrapping of the design meant the stadium would not be ready in time for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, but said he was "certain" that the project would be ready in time for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.

A spokesman for Zaha Hadid Architects blamed increases in construction costs in Tokyo and the difficult of working to a fixed deadline for the stadium's spiralling price tag.