Tokyo Olympics: '拢9.98bn Games bill six times over budget'

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, The site for the National Stadium in Tokyo. Plans have had to be revised in an effort to save costs

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics will cost 拢9.98bn (1.8 trillion yen), six times more than the original estimate, it has been claimed.

Japanese public broadcaster the overspend on its website.

It said the huge rise had been caused by unexpected payments for building lanes on highways, as well as rising material costs and personnel expenses.

Next year's Olympics in Rio has a budget of 拢2.38bn while London 2012 cost 拢8.77bn in total.

However, if the cost of the Tokyo Olympics was to reach 拢9.98bn, it would still be considerably less than the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, which was estimated to have cost 拢31bn ($51bn).

The initial cost of the 2020 Games was estimated at 拢1.6bn (300bn yen).

NHK said the figure was optimistic and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee was expected to show a shortfall of 拢5.54bn (1 trillion yen).

Total costs for staging the Games will be shared by the committee, the Tokyo government and national government.