LAUSANNE/TOKYO: Seven venues in six cities have been approved for the Olympic football tournament for the 2020 Games in Tokyo.

The executive board of the International Olympic Committee, meeting in Lausanne, has ticked the local organisers’ proposals for the venues – the Tokyo Stadium and Olympic Stadium, Sapporo Dome, Miyagi Stadium, Ibaraki Kashima Stadium, Saitama Stadium and the International Stadium Yokohoma.

The latter has become a regular host venue for the final of the annual FIFA Club World Cup and also staged the World Cup Final in 2002 in which Brazil beat Germany 2-0 with goals by Ronaldo.

The Sapporo Dome, Miyagi and Saitama stadia also hosted matches during the 2002 World Cup, which Japan co-hosted with South Korea.

The agreement on these locations signals the confirmation of venues for all sports at the 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games which will use 43 venues, including 25 existing facilities, 10 temporary sites and eight new permanent venues.

Tokyo 2020 said the number of venues using existing facilities has risen from around 40pc to almost 60pc, resulting in a $1.8bn cost savingafter the cancellation of construction of three new permanent venues and changes to other sites.

Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori said: “I am very happy that, with us having submitted our proposals for all football venues as a single request, we received approval for all of them today, which means the venues for all of the sports in the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 have now been decided.

“We will cooperate with neighbouring and regional municipalities in the use of their facilities and will host the Games together. We believe that these Games will prove to be a model for a sustainable Games while delivering the excitement of the Games to more people.”

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