The architecture firm that came up with the design for the main venue of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics is blaming central government officials for the soaring cost estimates that led to the design being scrapped.
On Tuesday, London-based Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) issued a statement criticizing the Japan Sport Council (JSC) for choosing contractors before they submitted cost estimates for the National Stadium in a two-stage tender process.
"Our warning was not heeded that selecting contractors too early in a heated construction market, and without sufficient competition, would lead to an overly high estimate of the cost of construction," the statement said.