Japan in the dark over Tokyo Olympic Stadium completion
Having gone back to the drawing board with plans for the Tokyo Olympic Stadium, Japan have acknowledged it may not be completed on time.
Japan's Olympic minister Toshiaki Endo has confirmed that the stadium set to host the Tokyo Games in 2020 may not be finished in time to meet the deadline set by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Tokyo was awarded the competition in September 2013 but, amid concerns over spiralling costs, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe confirmed plans for the stadium were to be scrapped last month.
Reports suggested the price for the stadium had rocketed to 252billion yen (£1.3bn) and on Tuesday IOC vice president John Coates set Japan a deadline of January 2020 to deliver the arena.
With the Games taking place between July and August, Endo acknowledged Japan may not meet the IOC's target.
"It was going to be April on a very tight schedule," he was quoted as telling Kyodo News.
"We can ask the contractors to push it, but we have no idea if it's doable."