KYODO NEWS - Dec 12, 2017 - 02:14 | Sports, All, News

Organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics at a joint conference with the International Olympic Committee on Monday proposed reducing by more than 30,000 the initially planned number of spectator seats at some venues for the Tokyo Games, a source told Kyodo News.

The proposed move is aimed at reducing costs and also because of a lack of space for makeshift seating at venues that will stage boxing, equestrian and other sports.

Other venues are still being discussed and the reduction of seats could rise to even higher numbers.

The proposed reduction of seats at 12 venues is being discussed, including the new National Stadium being built in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward where the National Stadium for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics used to stand.

An agreement had already been reached to reduce the National Stadium to 68,000 seats from the 80,000 planned when Tokyo was bidding to stage the games.

Seats at the equestrian venue would be cut from 14,000 to 9,300 while those at Ryogoku Kokugikan, the boxing venue, would be reduced from 10,000 to 7,700 and at the archery venue from 7,000 to 5,000.

Other venues proposed to be cut include those staging handball and cycling.