W. Cup hosts go ahead with stadium plans<\/p>\n
TOKYO (Reuters): Japan and South Korea, co-hosts of the 2002
\nWorld Cup, are pushing ahead with their plans to build new
\nstadiums despite the economic crisis in Asia.<\/p>\n
Officials say the problems facing their economies will not
\nderail the preparations despite the feasibility check conducted
\nby President Kim Dae-jung's Korean administration.<\/p>\n
\"We are aiming to complete construction of the stadiums by
\nOctober 2001,\" said Lee Yun-je, an official of South Korea's
\norganizing committee.<\/p>\n
Each country has already identified 10 host venues.<\/p>\n
Two stadiums, Yokohama and Osaka, have been completed in
\nJapan, while those in three South Korean cities, Pusan, Taegu and
\nInchon, are now under construction.<\/p>\n
\"There is no sense of urgency yet since it would only take
\nabout 32 months to complete a stadium,\" said Lee.<\/p>\n
South Korea's organizing committee has estimated it would cost
\n10 trillion won (US$7.8 billion) to build all the stadiums at the
\nvenues, which also include Chonju, Kwangju, Seoguipo on the
\nsouthern island of Cheju-do, Seoul, Suwon, Taejon and Ulsan.<\/p>\n
Seoguipo and Suwon currently face some difficulties in raising
\nfinance but the problems are expected to be resolved with support
\nfrom their provincial governments.<\/p>\n
The South Korean government will provide 30 percent of the
\ncosts of building each of the 10 stadiums.<\/p>\n
As well as the two completed stadiums, Japan's host venues
\ninclude Kobe, Ibaraki, Miyagi, Niigata, Oita, Saitama, Sapporo
\nand Shizuoka.<\/p>\n
\"The cost has been included in the budgets of the local
\ngovernments for the past three or four years so the plans will
\nnot be affected,\" Junji Ogura, general-secretary of the Japan
\nFootball Association (JFA), said in Paris last week.<\/p>\n
The construction of nine of the stadiums will be completed by
\nthe spring of 2001 with the last one in the city of Kobe set to
\nbe finished by the autumn.<\/p>\n
Hiroshi Uchijima, general-secretary of Japan's World Cup
\nOrganizing Committee (JAWOC) said the running costs of hosting
\nthe World Cup, which excludes building the stadiums, could be
\ndouble the amount spent to stage France '98.<\/p>\n
\"Basically, the cost for Japan to host the event would be
\nabout the same as that for France. The same could be said for
\nSouth Korea as well. In other words, the cost would be double the
\namount France had to shoulder.\"<\/p>\n
\"But in the run-up to the year 2002 we don't know how much
\nextra cost we'll end up with. I believe the total cost could be
\n50 to 60 billion yen each,\" he said.<\/p>\n
With 64 matches taking place in the 2002 finals each of the 20
\nstadiums selected by the two countries could be expected to host
\nonly three matches.<\/p>\n
The opening game will be held in Seoul along with the third
\nplace play-off if FIFA does not scrap that match.<\/p>\n
The World Cup final will be staged in Japan at either the
\nnewly constructed 70,000-seater Yokohama International Stadium or
\nthe 63,000-seater Saitama Prefectural Stadium.<\/p>\n
A decision on which venue will host the final will be taken
\nnext year.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/w-cup-hosts-go-ahead-with-stadium-plans-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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