Olympics: Volleyball Chief Spikes 2020 Venue Change Plan

TOKYO, , (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Nov, 2016 ) - Volleyball's top official on Friday said he was opposed to scaling back capacity at the sport's planned venue for the Tokyo 2020 Games as organisers look to get a handle on soaring costs.

"We absolutely understand the issues of budget constraint," Fabio Azevedo, General Director of the International Federation of Volleyball (FIVB), told reporters in the Japanese capital. "However we believe that working together...

we'll be able to find a solution together." He left open the door to moving the venue to an existing facility in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, but added that "I don't want to discuss any kind of second plans" right now.

Tokyo lawmakers are eyeing cheaper options after warnings that skyrocketing costs could hit an eye-watering $30 billion -- four times the initial estimate and almost triple that of the 2012 London Olympics.

Cost-cutting options also include relocating venues for canoeing and rowing while scaling back plans for a new swimming venue. "Actually we want 15,000 seats. Why? because in Rio we sold 97 percent of tickets, and we believe as volleyball is very popular in Japan that we should not scale down the number of seats," Azevedo said after separate meetings with Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori and Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike.

"I'm quite sure again that analysing together the project we'll be able to reduce the costs." The new volleyball venue is on track to cost about 40.4 billion Yen ($350 million). IOC executive director Christophe Dubi said earlier this month the rowing and canoeing could take place in Miyagi prefecture, 250 miles (400 kilometres) north of Tokyo, and volleyball in Yokohama, south of the capital, following recommendations from the Koike-appointed panel of experts.

But Tokyo officials have faced resistance from 2020 organisers who argue that moving some of events to Miyagi, which was badly affected by the 2011 tsunami, could actually cost more as the region lacks the proper infrastructure. Last month, Koike and International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach agreed to work together on cutting skyrocketing costs.