Hydrogen to power 2020 Olympic village

The athletes village for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo will be a futuristic "hydrogen town" where electricity and hot water are generated from the abundant element, a local newspaper reported on Monday.

Planners at the Tokyo metropolitan government want to use the opportunity of hosting the summer sporting festival as a boost to so-called "clean" energy, the Yomiuri Shimbun said.

The city aims to build hydrogen stations and pipelines that will send the gas to accommodation units, athletic facilities and restaurants, the mass-circulation daily said.