Tuesday, 23 July 2019:
A Summer Games in Tokyo could well be just what the Olympic movement needs.
Four years after the Rio Games played out before half-full stadiums in a host nation battling a major economic crisis, the five-ringed circus will move to the Japanese capital for the 2020 showpiece, with the opening ceremony on July 24.
Japan has a proud modern Olympics history, dating back to its successful hosting of the 1964 Games, less than two decades after the end of World War II.
It is a nation which seamlessly combines a deep sense of history with cutting-edge modernity.
Those two contrasting strands of Japanese life will be reflected in the main clusters of venues for the 2020 Games.
The Heritage Zone includes iconic venues such as the Nippon Budokan and the Yoyogi Stadium, both of which also saw service in 1964.
The new Olympic Stadium - which will host the opening and closing ceremonies and athletics - is close to completion on the site of the main venue for the 1964 Games.
And the race walks will take place in the Imperial Palace Garden, adjacent to where Dawn Fraser famously "souvenired" the Olympic flag 65 years ago, shortly after claiming a third straight 100m freestyle title and earning the ire of Australian swimming officials.
To the east is the Tokyo Bay Zone, which will host many of the new-age disciplines such as skateboarding, 3x3 basketball and sport climbing.
"It's a unique contrast of having the two different zones," said Tokyo 2020 spokesman Masa Takaya.
"In the Tokyo Bay Zone, it's the future of the city on the reclaimed land (on the artificial island of Odaiba) with the new city and new sporting facilities.
"The other zone will feature Japan's traditions and unique culture and existing facilities including the venues from 1964."
Of the more far-flung venues, the one of most interest to Australians will be Tsurigasaki Beach, where the likes of Stephanie Gilmore and Sally Fitzgibbons will be bidding to become the inaugural Olympic women's surfing gold medallist.
Other sports such as baseball and softball will take place in areas hardest hit by the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami of 2011.
As was the case for the 2000 Sydney and 2012 London Olympics, the early demand for tickets far outstripped supply.
A second lottery will take place in August.
The sponsorship program has also exceeded benchmarks.
"I feel huge excitement about the Olympics from the general public," said Takaya.
"A good example was straight after Rio when a medallists' parade took place in the city centre and we saw more than 800,000 people turn out to welcome home the athletes.
"The excitement behind the scenes is huge and the excitement behind the ticketing sales is another good example."
Australian chef de mission Ian Chesterman is bullish about what Tokyo will deliver.
"My first Games as chef de mission for the Winter Games was Nagano in 1998," Chesterman told AAP.
"I saw the fantastic job the Japanese people did putting on those Games and the welcome they gave everybody who was these.
"I think we're up for a real highlight with Tokyo.
"We know they're absolutely committed to delivering a great Games; we know they have the funding in place to deliver a great Games and most importantly, the people really want embrace the Games.
"You'll see packed stadiums, you'll see city streets full of people excited about having the athletes of the world there.
"The future of the Summer Games looks incredibly strong going forward with Tokyo, Paris and Los Angeles as host cities.
"Each of them is one of the great cities of the world."
The friendly time zone will also play into the hands of the Australian team and the viewing public back home.
From all-time highs of 58 total medals in 2000 and 17 golds in 2004, the green and gold team largely performed below expectations in Rio, winning just eight golds and 29 medals overall, the lowest since 1992.
"It's really easy for our athletes to get there," said Chesterman.
"It's a very easy trip, especially compared to Rio.
"It's also a huge advantage for Australians who want to watch the Games."
There have been large cost over-runs in the buildup, with the total bill likely to be $US25 billion ($A35.5 billion), according to a report late last year by the Japanese government's Board of Audit.
That is three-and-a-half times the figure of $US7.3 billion ($A10.37 billion) touted when the successful bid was made in 2013.
The biggest potential issue going forward for organisers - as is so often the case - will be transportation.
Moving athletes and spectators around a greater metropolitan area with a population of more than 36 million provides unique challenges.
The aim is to reduce a 15 per cent reduction in road traffic, in large part by relying on the goodwill of the general public and the business community, much as happened in Sydney back in 2000.
"We are asking people to stay off the roads, especially in peak hours, to work from home and so on," said Takaya.
"If we are able to receive a 15 per cent reduction in traffic we will easily be able to achieve efficient highway transport.
"The key message will be that your contribution or support will help Tokyo 2020 achieve the best success."
