The heat is on for Tokyo to work out pre-Games jitters

Organizers want the Games to help showcase Japan's recovery from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that claimed more than 18,000 lives and triggered meltdowns at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

While reconstruction from the disaster is making steady progress and work on the new 68,000-seat main stadium in Tokyo is 40 percent complete, more than 70,000 people remain displaced from their communities.

The construction of the main stadium was more than a year behind schedule when it started in December 2016, as earlier plans were scrapped because of spiraling costs and a contentious design.

The Japanese government approved the new $1.5-billion stadium, which is expected to be completed in November of 2019.

The previous construction timeline would have allowed the main stadium to host the 2019 Rugby World Cup final on Nov 2 as a test event, but that idea was scrapped.

Meanwhile, organizers say the other newly constructed venues are 20 to 40 percent complete.

The torch relay will start March 26, 2020, in Fukushima, an area hit hard by the disaster.

Coates said local organizers are on track with 24 months to go.

"Tokyo 2020 comes a significant step closer to delivering an Olympic Games that will bring Japan and the world together," he said. "The organizing committee has presented considerable progress ... especially as it related to venue and operational readiness."

Associated Press