The Japan Volleyball Association (JVA), along with former Olympians, submitted a written petition Tuesday to Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike calling on the government to stick to the original plan of building the Ariake Arena volleyball venue for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Kenji Kimura, the JVA president, said that while he understood the need to rein in costs for the games, chopping the budget should not be the only option.
"We are certainly aware of the ¥40.4 billion cost (to build the arena)," Kimura said at a news conference prior to meeting Koike where he handed over the petition. "But (the point) should be about how much value you see in it. You should not judge things based on costs alone, which is the short-term view.