The Kahoku Shimpō daily newspaper reported that the rough competition schedule for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games has been put together, and Hitomebore Stadium Miyagi has been assigned to host 10 football matches over a six-day period during the Games.
The matches include six group stage matches for women’s football, two group stage matches for men’s football, as well as a quarter-final each for women and men’s football.
A major revamp, including the much-needed reinstallation of the pitch, will take place in July next year.
A representative from the Olympic/Paralympic Games Promotion Section of the Miyagi Prefectural Office welcomed the announcement, saying: “We are excited to find out that many games have been assigned to the stadium in Miyagi. It would be even more exciting if Japan play here, too.
“There are many things, such as planning crowd transportation, securing pre-match training pitches for teams, pitch management, and protecting everyone from the heat as the Games will be held during the Japanese summer, to be taken care of so we will keep our focus on those things.”
Jun Takehana, executive director of Miyagi Football Association (MFA), added: “We hope the upcoming 2020 Olympic Games will help the disaster areas destroyed in the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami recover. MFA will request those organising the Games to ensure that many people from those areas will be able to come and see the matches.”
Hitomebore Stadium Miyagi has a capacity of 49,133 making it one of the biggest stadia in the Tohoku region but it is located in the town of Rifu, some 363km away from Tokyo where main Olympic venues are.
Image: Miyagi Sport Association
News provided by The Stadium Hub in Japan
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