Tuesday 19 November 2019 06:51, UK
Construction work has been completed at Tokyo's New National Stadium, set to be the centrepiece of next year's Olympic Games.
The Japan Sports Council said the final work had been completed on Thursday, with just the final quality and safety checks remaining before the stadium opens next month.
Completed at a cost of more than $1.25 billion, the stadium can accommodate 60,000 and will host the athletics and football events during the Games.
Construction started in December 2016, about 14 months later than planned, after the original design was scrapped because of a public outcry over spiralling costs.
The delay meant the stadium could not host matches of the Rugby World Cup, as originally planned.
The New National Stadium is one of eight new venues to be used at the Tokyo Games, all of them are either complete or on schedule to be finished before the event, which runs across July and August 2020.
It will be officially unveiled on December 21, with the Emperor's Cup football final being the first sporting event to be held there on New Year's Day.
