A total of 42 venues will be used, 27 of which are split between the Heritage Zone and Tokyo Bay Zone in the Japanese capital
The delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in will be staged at a total of 42 venues, 27 of which are in and around the Japanese capital.
Those 27 are split into the Heritage Zone and Tokyo Bay Zone with the other 15 outlying venues.
The Heritage Zone contains iconic arenas which were a part of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and will be reused in various forms, while the Tokyo Bay Zone houses 16 venues, as well as the International Broadcast Centre and Main Press Centre. The Olympic village can be found at the intersection of the two zones.
The absence of international fans, and no decision yet on local fans, means it is unlikely the venues will reach approaching full capacity for the Games.
Tokyo 2021 Olympic venues
Olympic Stadium
Hosting: Opening and closing ceremonies, athletics, football
Capacity: 68,000
Used as the main stadium for the 1964 Olympic Games, the venue has been rebuilt as a brand new stadium – designed by eminent architect Kengo Kuma – for the 2021 Games, although the process was beset by a number of scandals and delays, and tearing down the original was a controversial move in itself. After the Games are over, the stadium will be used for sporting and cultural events. Japan’s answer to a Wembley, Maracana or the Bird’s Nest.
Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium
Hosting: Table tennis
Capacity: 7,000
A stone’s throw away from the Olympic Stadium, the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium is one of the legacy venues of the 1964 Games. It served as the main arena for Tokyo 1964, hosting the gymnastics events and water polo, which was held in the venue’s indoor pool. This time around, it will just be table tennis on display.
Yoyogi National Stadium
Hosting: Handball
Capacity: 10,200
Another legacy venue having been constructed to host the aquatics and basketball competitions for the 1964 Games. The venue is the work of world-renowned architect Tange Kenzo, whose design at the time was seen as an industry marvel. With its suspension roof design, it continues to be held up as one of the city’s most beloved pieces of architecture.
Nippon Budokan
Hosting: Judo, karate
Capacity: 11,000
Alongside the Yoyogi National Gymnasium, the mecca of judo is arguably the most iconic of the Tokyo 2020 venues. Originally built to house martial arts events, the Budokan introduced judo to the Olympic programme in 1964 and will red-carpet another new sport to the Games this summer – karate. Fun fact: The Beatles became the first rock band to perform at the Budokan in 1966.
Tokyo International Forum
Hosting: Weightlifting
Capacity: 5,000
A multi-purpose exhibition centre comprised of eight main halls of various sizes, exhibition spaces and other facilities. Tt features swooping curves of steel truss and glass with the outside shaped like an elongated boat.
Kokugikan Arena
Hosting: Boxing
Capacity: 7,300
The spiritual home of the Japanese national sport of sumo wrestling, the arena will instead be home to boxing for the 2020 Games. The interior is designed in a bowl shape to allow spectators to easily view the sumo bouts in the centre of the auditorium from wherever they are seated, a layout that will be similarly useful for the boxing.
Equestrian Park
Hosting: Equestrian (Jumping, dressage, eventing)
Capacity: 9,300
Another 1964 legacy venue, the park will once again hold the equestrian competitions. Away from the Games, it is a public park that offers a green escape from the busy streets of Tokyo.
Musashino Forest Sport Plaza
Hosting: Badminton, modern pentathlon (fencing)
Capacity: 7,200
Situated close to the Tokyo Stadium, the plaza will serve as a multi-purpose sports venue. It is composed of two buildings, the main arena building and the sub-arena building, in a total area of over 30,000 square meters.
Tokyo Stadium
Hosting: Football, rugby, modern pentathlon (swimming, fencing, riding, Laser-run)
Capacity: 48,000
The leading venue for football matches, the multi-purpose will be used for a variety of activities. The stadium is the home of J1 League football club FC Tokyo and J2 League football club Tokyo Verdy.
Musashinonomori Park
Hosting: Road cycling
The start line for the cycling road race. The park is surrounded by the wide expanse of Musashino Forest, offering plentiful greenery and beautiful views.
Ariake Arena
Hosting: Volleyball
Capacity: 15,000
A new construction in the northern part of Tokyo’s Ariake district. After the Games the arena will become a new sporting and cultural centre.
Ariake Gymnastics Centre
Hosting: Gymnastics (rhythmic, artistic, trampoline)
Capacity: 12,000
Situated right next to the Olympic Village, the gymnastics centre is one of the most easily accessible and commutable venues. Although a temporary venue, a sporting arena with a 12,000 seating capacity is scheduled for construction on the site after the Games.
Ariake Urban Sports Park
Hosting: BMX cycling BMX, freestyle cycling, skateboarding
Capacity: 5,000, 6,600, 7,000
Located in the waterfront area close to the Athletes’ Village and the Big Sight venue, which will house the International Broadcast Centre and the Main Press Centre, the park will breathe new life into the Games with a touch of the youth movement.
Ariake Tennis Park
Hosting: Tennis
Capacity: 19,900
One of Japan’s main tennis facilities, the venue features the Ariake Coliseum centre court as well as other show courts, indoor courts and outdoor courts.
Odaiba Marine Park
Hosting: Marathon swimming, triathlon
Capacity: 5,500
Located on a man-made island with great views of Tokyo’s Rainbow Bridge, Tokyo’s cityscape and the ocean, the park will host a temporary venue for Games time.
Shiokaze Park
Hosting: Beach volleyball
Capacity: 12,000
Another venue to offer views of Tokyo’s iconic Rainbow Bridge and the beautiful Tokyo Bay, Shiokaze Park is the largest park on the Tokyo waterfront area of Odaiba. A temporary venue will be set up in the park.
Aomi Urban Sports Park
Hosting: 3×3 basketball, sport climbing
Capacity: 7,100, 8,400
Situated on the waterfront Aomi district close to the Athletes’ Village, and with views across Tokyo Bay, the venue aims to tap into the youthful audience to the Games. Another temporary venue.
Oi Hockey Stadium
Hosting: Hockey
Capacity: 15,000
Located inside the Oi Central Seaside Park Sports Forest, the stadium is a permanent addition to the city, having been completed in June 2019.
Sea Forest Cross-Country Course
Hosting: Eventing (cross-country)
Capacity: 16,000
A temporary cross-country course has been constructed on an area of reclaimed land, offering views of Tokyo Bay and the cityscape.
Sea Forest Waterway
Hosting: Canoe sprint, rowing
Capacity: 12,800, 16,000
Located close to central Tokyo, the waterfront site will be used for international rowing and canoe competitions post Games, with the aim of becoming one of the premier locations in Asia for water sports.
Kasai Canoe Slalom Centre
Hosting: Canoe slalom
Capacity: 7,500
Built on the land adjoining the Kasai Rinkai Park and completed in May 2019, the centre houses the first man-made course in Japan. The canoe slalom course is 200 metres in length and has a height differential of 4.5m from start to finish. An Olympic legacy venue, it will remain in use after the Games for watersports and rafting for local residents and the general public.
Yumenoshima Park Archery Field
Hosting: Archery
Capacity: 5,600
The first among the venues to be completed, the Yunemoshima Park Archery Field is shaped like an archer’s bow and includes a grandstand and a warm-up area apart from the competition field. Constructed on a former landfill site, it is located in the Tokyo Bay Zone and will be used for archery and a wide range of other activities post Games.
Tokyo Aquatics Centre
Hosting: Swimming, artistic swimming, diving
Capacity: 15,000
The last of the eight newly built venues to be completed, in February 2020, the venue includes the competition pool, a sub-pool (used for warm-ups) and a diving pool. Located in the Tatsumi-no-Mori Seaside Park, it is within walking distance of the old spiritual home of Japanese swimming, the Tatsumi International Swimming Center.
The length and width of the state-of-the-art main pool are adjustable, the water temperature is maintained by an environmentally friendly geothermal heating device, and the design of the ceiling is inspired by origami, the Japanese papercraft.
Tatsumi Water Polo Centre
Hosting: Water polo
Capacity: 4,700
This iconic venue was designed in 1990 to serve as the main facility for swimming and other water sports in the Tokyo area. Will host water polo in 2020.
Sapporo Odori Park
Hosting: Athletics (marathon, race walking)
The marathon and race walking events will take place in Sapporo, 800 kilometres away from the Japanese capital, because of fears over extreme heat. Located in the centre of Sapporo City, the park is approximately 1.5km long. The Sapporo TV Tower, Sapporo Station and the Sapporo Campus of Hokkaido University are among the landmarks which will be passed along the planned course.
Makuhari Messe Hall
Hosting: Wrestling, taekwondo, fencing
Capacity: 10,000, 10,000, 8,000
Located on the east of the Tokyo Bay Zone, this large-scale convention centre spans some 210,000 square metres and consists of three major zones – the International Exhibition Hall, the International Conference Hall, and the Makuhari Event Hall.
Tsurigasaki Surfing Beach
Hosting: Surfing
Capacity: 6,000
Located about 40 miles east of Tokyo in the town of Ichinomiya, Chiba Prefecture, the location has been chosen for its consistency in surf conditions. It is the training ground for most of Japan’s top pros and could offer some of the Games’ most scenic moments.
Saitama Super Arena
Hosting: Basketball
Capacity: 21,000
Located in Saitama City, the arena is one of Japan’s largest multipurpose venues, hosting sporting competitions, concerts, conferences and many other events. Opened in 2000, it features a moving-block system which can be used to tailor the arena space according to the scale of individual events and specific event requirement. Gradually becoming known as one of the ‘sacred grounds’ of basketball in the country.
Asaka Shooting Range
Hosting: Shooting
Capacity: 3,000
After hosting the shooting competitions at the Tokyo 1964 Games, action returns again in 2020, albeit with an Olympic-standard temporary facility. Located around 30km from the National Stadium, the venue normally serves as the base for Japan’s Military Parade and the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force and is also the headquarters of the Eastern Army.
Kasumigaseki Country Club
Hosting: Golf
Capacity: 25,000
Extending out across the verdant Musashino Hills and located in Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture, the club has a history spanning over 80 years. It is one of Japan’s oldest and most respected golf clubs. Because of the extreme heat in late July and early August players should anticipate slightly slower green speeds along with thick Zoysia grass rough on the par-71 course.
Enoshima Yacht Harbour
Hosting: Sailing
Capacity: 3,600
Located in Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture, the harbour was constructed for use at the 1964 Games, making it yet another 1964 Olympic legacy venue. The venue is Japan’s first ever harbour capable of hosting water sport competitions.
Izu Velodrome
Hosting: Track cycling
Capacity: 3,600
Located in Izu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, 120 kilometres away from Tokyo, the indoor venue houses a 250m wooden cycling track that fully complies with the technical standards required by the Union Cycliste Internationale, the world governing body for cycling. The velodrome underwent significant renovations ahead of the Games.
Izu MTB Course
Hosting: Mountain biking
Capacity: 11,500
Located in Izu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, the off-road course measures 4,100m in length with elevations of up to 150m. The course was built in 2010 and features views of Mount Fuji as well as features designed for beginner and advanced cyclists.
Fuji International Speedway
Hosting: Road cycling (road race finish, time trial)
Capacity: 22,000
Racing will finish with riders completing circuits in and around the Fuji Speedway, a motorsport race track located immediately below Mount Fuji in Shizuoka prefecture.
Fukushima Azuma Baseball Stadium
Hosting: Baseball/softball
Capacity: 14,300
Located in Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture, the stadium is part of the Azuma Sports Park, which is divided into four recreational spaces: the Sports Area, the Nature Area, the Family Area and the History Area. With recovery a theme for Tokyo 2020, no venue maybe more symbolic than this situated in a prefecture known for its beautiful countryside but also the 2011 nuclear disaster.
Yokohama Baseball Stadium
Hosting: Baseball/softball
Capacity: 35,000
Located in Yokohama Park, Kanagawa Prefecture, the Yokohama Stadium is Japan’s first ever multi-purpose stadium. It also serves as home to one of Japan’s professional baseball teams.
Sapporo Dome
Hosting: Football
Capacity: 41,000
All-weather dome-shaped stadium is located in Sapporo City in Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido. Primarily used for baseball and football outside of Games time and was used during the 2002 Fifa World Cup and 2019 Rugby World Cup.
Miyagi Stadium
Hosting: Football
Capacity: 49,000
The site is located in the city of Rifu in the Miyagi prefecture, and is mainly used for athletics competitions and football games. The roof that covers the seated spectators of the Miyagi stadium was designed to evoke the images of a crescend moon orned by the helmet of Date Masamune – a 16th century feudal lord who reigned over an area that includes the current Miyagi prefecture
Ibaraki Kashima Stadium
Hosting: Football
Capacity: 40,000
Located in Kashima City, Ibaraki Prefecture, the Ibaraki Kashima Stadium is a dedicated football stadium with a natural grass pitch and excellent views from all seats. Home to the Japanese professional football team, Kashima Antlers.
Saitama Stadium
Hosting: Football
Capacity: 64,000
The largest dedicated football stadium in Japan and one of the largest in Asia, it was originally built in time for the 2002 Fifa World Cup.
International Stadium Yokohama
Hosting: Football
Capacity: 72,000
Located in Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, this multi-purpose sports stadium boasts a seating capacity for 72,327 spectators – the largest of any stadium in Japan. Around an hour away from central Tokyo, it is home to the J League’s Yokohama F Marinos. Another to host games at the 2002 Fifa World Cup and 2019 Rugby World Cups.
