National Olympic Stadium (Tokyo)

National Stadium

Kokuritsu Kyōgijō
Location	10-2, Kasumigaoka-machi, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
Owner	Japan Sport Council
Capacity	48,000 (seated) 57,363
Record attendance	80,000 (L'Arc-en-Ciel, 21–22 March 2014)
Field size	105 × 68 m
Surface	Grass
Construction
Opened	1958
Closed	2014
Construction cost	1 billion USD (2019 reconstruction)
Architect	Mitsuo Katayama
Tenants
1958 Asian Games 1964 Summer Olympics 1980–2001 Intercontinental Cup 1991 World Championships in Athletics 1976–1993 Coca-Cola Classic 1967-Present Emperor Cup (finals venue) Japanese Super Cup 2019 Rugby World Cup 2020 Summer Olympics 2020 Summer Paralympics

National Stadium (国立霞ヶ丘陸上競技場, Kokuritsu Kasumigaoka Rikujō Kyogijō) was a stadium in Kasumigaoka, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. The stadium served as the main stadium for the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as being the venue for track and field events at the 1964 Summer Olympic Games. The Japan national football team's home matches and major football club cup finals were held at the stadium. The stadium's official capacity was 57,363, but the real capacity was only 48,000 seats.

The stadium is under demolition as of 2015. The site will be redeveloped with a new larger-capacity National Olympic Stadium designed by architect Zaha Hadid.^[1] The new stadium is set to be the main venue for the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games, as well as the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

History

The stadium was completed in 1958 as the Japanese National Stadium on the site of the former Meiji Shrine Outer Park Stadium. Its first major event was the 1958 Asian Games.

The venue was unscathed by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Yasuhiro Nakamori, international relations director for the Japanese Olympic Committee, told Around the Rings he attributed the lack of damage to Japan's stringent building codes.^[2]

Redevelopment

After Tokyo submitted their bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics, there was talk of possibly renovating or reconstructing the National Olympic Stadium. The stadium would host the opening and closing ceremonies as well as track and field events.^[3]

It was confirmed in February 2012 that the stadium would be reconstructed and redeveloped, and receive a $1 billion upgrade. In November 2012, renderings of the new national stadium were revealed. The new national stadium will be built to a design by architect Zaha Hadid. It is planned that the existing stadium is to be demolished in 2015 and the new one completed in March 2019.^[4] The new stadium will be the Tokyo 2020 venue for athletics, rugby and certain football finals, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies.^[5] It will also be the main venue for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Events

In addition to the 1964 Summer Olympics, the stadium held many other significant events, most notably the 1991 World Athletics Championships, the Mirage Bowl games from 1976–1993, and the Intercontinental Cup (Toyota Cup) from 1980–2001. As the National Stadium of Japan, the Japan national football team held home games at the venue, which also hosted the final game of the Emperor's Cup on New Year's Day, and the J. League Cup in November, as well as the Fuji Xerox Cup in the end of February or early March, every year. It was also the venue, every year in early January, for the semifinals and final of the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament, which is commonly known as Winter Kokuritsu.

Rugby games were also played at this venue, including the annual university rugby semi-finals and finals, as the nearby Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium's capacity is insufficient for the number of student fans the event attracts.

As of 2014, many groups have held concerts at the National Stadium. By order of appearance they are: SMAP, Dreams Come True, Arashi,^[6] L'Arc-en-Ciel,^[7][8] Momoiro Clover Z, and AKB48.

With pending renovations to prepare the stadium for the 2020 Olympics, a special farewell concert "Sayonara National Olympic Stadium Final Week Japan Night" consisting of 13 acts was held on May 28 and 29.^[9] Artists performing on the 28th ("Yell for Japan") included Ikimono-gakari, Ukasukajī（Kazutoshi Sakurai & GAKU-MC）, Kaori Kishitani, The Gospellers, Kazuyoshi Saito, Sukima Switch, Naoto Inti Raymi, Funky Kato and Yuzu; artists performing on the 29th ("JAPAN to the World") included SEKAI NO OWARI, Perfume, Man with a Mission and L'Arc〜en〜Ciel.

Access

Access to the stadium was from Sendagaya or Shinanomachi stations along the JR Chūō-Sōbu Line; from Kokuritsu Kyogijo Station on the Toei Oedo Line; and from Gaienmae Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line.

References

• 1964 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. Part 1. pp. 118–20.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Olympic Stadium (Tokyo).

• Official website (Japanese)
• Satellite photo of the stadium from Google Maps
• Stadiums in Japan:Tokyo National Stadium
• National Stadium
• National Stadium, Tokyo

Olympic venues in athletics 1896: Marathon (city), Panathenaic Stadium 1900: Croix-Catelan Stadium 1904: Francis Field 1908: White City Stadium 1912: Stockholm Olympic Stadium 1920: Olympisch Stadion 1924: Stade de Colombes 1928: Olympic Stadium 1932: Olympic Stadium, Riverside Drive at Griffith Park 1936: Avus Motor Road, Olympic Stadium 1948: Empire Stadium 1952: Olympic Stadium 1956: Melbourne Cricket Ground 1960: Arch of Constantine, Raccordo Anulare, Stadio Olimpico, Via Appia Antica, Via Cristoforo Colombo 1964: Fuchu City, Karasuyama-machi, National Stadium, Sasazuka-machi, Shinjuku 1968: Estadio Olímpico Universitario, Zócalo 1972: Olympiastadion 1976: Montreal Botanical Garden, Olympic Stadium, Streets of Montreal 1980: Grand Arena, Streets of Moscow 1984: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Santa Monica College, Streets of Los Angeles, Streets of Santa Monica 1988: Olympic Stadium, Streets of Seoul 1992: Estadi Olímpic de Monjuïc, Marathon course, Mataró, Walking course 1996: Marathon course, Olympic Stadium, Walking course 2000: Marathon course, North Sydney, Olympic Stadium 2004: Marathon (city), Olympic Stadium, Panathenaic Stadium, Stadium at Olympia 2008: Beijing National Stadium, Olympic Green Promenade Walking course, Streets of Beijing Marathon course 2012: Marathon Course, Olympic Stadium 2016: Flamengo Park, Estádio Olímpico João Havelange, Sambódromo

Olympic venues in equestrian 1900: 7th arrondissement of Paris 1912: Fältrittklubben, Liljeholmen, Lindarängen, Östermalm Athletic Grounds, Stockholm Olympic Stadium 1920: Olympisch Stadion 1924: Hippodrome d'Auteuil, Stade de Colombes 1928: Hilversum, Olympic Stadium 1932: Olympic Stadium, Riviera Country Club, Westchester 1936: Döberitz, Mayfield, Olympic Stadium 1948: Aldershot, Empire Stadium, Tweseldown Racecourse 1952: Laakso, Olympic Stadium, Ruskeasuo Equestrian Hall, Tali Race Track 1956: Lill-Jansskogen, Olympic Stadium, Ulriksdal 1960: Piazza di Siena, Pratoni del Vivaro 1964: Karuizawa, National Stadium 1968: Avándaro Golf Club, Campo Marte, Estadio Olímpico Universitario 1972: Dressage Facility Nymphenburg, Olympiastadion, Riding Facility, Riem 1976: Olympic Equestrian Centre, Bromont, Olympic Stadium 1980: Grand Arena, Trade Unions' Equestrian Complex 1984: Fairbanks Ranch Country Club, Santa Anita Park 1988: Olympic Stadium, Seoul Equestrian Park 1992: Club Hípic El Montayá, Real Club de Polo de Barcelona 1996: Georgia International Horse Park 2000: Sydney International Equestrian Centre 2004: Markopoulo Olympic Equestrian Centre 2008: Hong Kong Equestrian Venues 2012: Greenwich Park 2016: National Equestrian Center

Olympic venues in association football 1900 Vélodrome de Vincennes 1904 Francis Field 1908 White City Stadium 1912 Råsunda IP, Stockholm Olympic Stadium (final), Tranebergs Idrottsplats 1920 Jules Ottenstadion, Olympisch Stadion (final), Stade Joseph Marien, Stadion Broodstraat 1924 Stade Bergeyre, Stade de Colombes (final), Stade de Paris, Stade Pershing 1928 Monnikenhuize, Olympic Stadium (final), Sparta Stadion Het Kasteel 1936 Hertha-BSC Field, Mommsenstadion, Olympiastadion (final), Poststadion 1948 Arsenal Stadium, Champion Hill, Craven Cottage, Cricklefield Stadium, Empire Stadium (medal matches), Green Pond Road, Griffin Park, Selhurst Park, White Hart Lane 1952 Helsinki Football Grounds, Kotka, Lahti, Olympic Stadium (final), Tampere, Turku 1956 Melbourne Cricket Ground (final), Olympic Park Stadium 1960 Florence Communal Stadium, Grosseto Communal Stadium, L'Aquila Communal Stadium, Livorno Ardenza Stadium, Naples Saint Paul's Stadium, Pescara Adriatic Stadium, Stadio Flaminio (final) 1964 Komazawa Olympic Park Stadium, Mitsuzawa Football Field, Nagai Stadium, Tokyo National Stadium (final), Nishikyogoku Athletic Stadium, Ōmiya Football Field, Prince Chichiba Memorial Football Field 1968 Estadio Azteca (final), Estadio Cuauhtémoc, Estadio Nou Camp, Jalisco Stadium 1972 Drei Flüsse Stadion, ESV-Stadion, Jahnstadion, Olympiastadion (final), Rosenaustadion, Urban Stadium 1976 Lansdowne Park, Olympic Stadium (final), Sherbrooke Stadium, Varsity Stadium 1980 Dinamo Stadium, Dynamo Central Stadium, Grand Arena, Grand Arena (final), Kirov Stadium, Republican Stadium 1984 Harvard Stadium, Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Rose Bowl (final), Stanford Stadium 1988 Busan Stadium, Daegu Stadium, Daejeon Stadium, Dongdaemun Stadium, Olympic Stadium (final) 1992 Estadi de la Nova Creu Alta, Estadi del FC Barcelona (final), Estadio Luís Casanova, La Romareda, RCD Espanyol Stadium 1996 Florida Citrus Bowl, Legion Field, Orange Bowl, RFK Memorial Stadium, Sanford Stadium (final) 2000 Stadium Australia, Brisbane Cricket Ground, Bruce Stadium, Hindmarsh Stadium, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Olympic Stadium (men's final), Sydney Football Stadium (women's final) 2004 Kaftanzoglio Stadium, Karaiskakis Stadium, Olympic Stadium (final), Pampeloponnisiako Stadium, Pankritio Stadium, Panthessaliko Stadium 2008 Beijing National Stadium (final), Qinhuangdao Olympic Sports Center Stadium, Shanghai Stadium, Shenyang Olympic Sports Center Stadium, Tianjin Olympic Center Stadium, Workers Stadium 2012 City of Coventry Stadium, Hampden Park, Millennium Stadium, St James' Park, Old Trafford, Wembley Stadium (final) 2016 Estádio Nacional de Brasília, Arena Fonte Nova, Mineirão, Arena Corinthians, Arena da Amazônia, Estádio Olímpico João Havelange, Maracanã (final)

Coordinates: 35°40′41″N 139°42′53″E / 35.67806°N 139.71472°E / 35.67806; 139.71472