TOKYO 2020 insisted procedures would be in place to ensure the safety of spectators after a professor at Aichi Prefectural University raised concerns over a possible evacuation at the Olympic Games sailing venue.
Nobuaki Shimizu told the Japanese media that simulations had shown evacuation plans would be inadequate at Shonan Port.
The plans would reportedly be used in the event an offshore earthquake triggered a tsunami near the venue.
Shimizu claimed it would take nearly an hour for spectators, athletes and officials to evacuate.
But Tokyo 2020 offered reassurance over its plans, stating it had changed the maximum spectator capacity following the simulation.
“Tokyo 2020 acknowledges the tsunami impact simulation exercise that was carried out by the Kanagawa Prefectural authorities and has formulated an evacuation plan to address the scenarios they simulated,” a Tokyo 2020 spokesman told the South China Morning Post.
“Taking into account the level of assumed damage caused by any such tsunami, we have estimated the number of people that could safely be evacuated and have accordingly reduced the maximum capacity of the venue from the 7,000-plus people included in our original bid to 5,700.
“Excluding athletes, staff and media representatives, the spectator capacity has been reduced to 3,300 people.
“As a result of this verification exercise, we have established that all 5,700 people would be able to evacuate to six designated facilities in the vicinity of the venue itself and in surrounding hilly areas.
“We are working on formulating safety procedures through the training and education of staff in the safe evacuation of those affected in any such occurrence, and by establishing evacuation procedures in cooperation with local authorities and other related parties.
“Based on the above, we will continue to share all relevant event information and any necessary alerts and updates with spectators during the Games.”
The Tokyo 2020 sailing competition will take place from July 27 and August 6 at Enoshima Yacht Harbour.
A total of 10 events will be held and a test event will take place from August 15 to 22.
No Paralympic sailing competition will take place at Tokyo 2020, after the sport was axed from the programme.
Japanese residents, meanwhile, can apply for tickets for next year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo from May 9, it was announced today.
Tokyo 2020 confirmed the domestic ticket lottery would run until May 28, with results revealed on June 20.
The Organising Committee has also launched its dedicated ticket web site today, where residents in Japan can submit their applications.
insidethegames exclusively revealed last month that international ticket sales are due to begin on June 14—the same day a new law banning the resale of tickets comes into force.
The decision to start the domestic phase of ticket sales before the international one is unusual as at previous Olympics they have been launched together.
Tokyo 2020 has asked those interested in entering the lottery to preregister on the Olympic IDs portal.
Those who are unsuccessful in the domestic lottery will have another opportunity to secure tickets for the Games in the Japanese capital during the first-come, first-served phase, scheduled to start in the autumn of this year.
A further phase of ticket sales will start in the spring of next year, offering first-come, first-served sales on a global basis, Tokyo 2020 said.
It is not clear how many tickets are available in the first phase of domestic sales.
Tokyo 2020 announced last July that the most expensive tickets for the Olympics, for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, will cost ¥300,000 ($2,500), while half of all tickets will cost ¥8,000 ($70) or less.
The cheapest adult tickets will be ¥2,500 ($22), while a cheaper concessionary rate for children, the elderly and people with disabilities will also be available at ¥2,020 ($18).
The cheapest tickets will be available at sports including softball, football, hockey and rugby, while the most expensive sporting tickets will be available for athletics at ¥130,000 ($1,100).
Insidethegames