NOTE: The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 have been rescheduled for July 23-August 8, 2021, due to COVID-19.

Serving as the main venue for the Olympic Games Tokyo 1964, Tokyo’s newly inaugurated Olympic Stadium has been reimagined for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and constructed with multiple Dow technologies. According to Dow, these technologies will help enable, protect, enhance, and maintain the integrity and performance of key infrastructure systems for the 72,400-sq-m Olympic Stadium.

“The Olympic Games symbolize many things—from the thrill of competition to the common threads that unite the world—but for Dow and our customers, the most poignant aspect of the Olympic Movement is the power and possibility of collaboration,” said Mike Reed, vice president of Dow Olympic and Sports Solutions. “In sharing our expertise in materials science and combining that with the know-how of architects, developers and customer partners in Tokyo, we are able to achieve new levels of innovation, sustainability and opportunity for the Olympic Games infrastructure and beyond.”

Designed by architect Kengo Kuma in partnership with Taisei Corp., the re-envisioned Olympic Stadium serves as an artistic representation of both Japan’s rich history and its vibrant future. With an estimated 60,000 attendees anticipated to descend upon the new Olympic Stadium during the peak of summer heat, Dow reports that its VORANOL™ polyether polyols—used to produce low- to high-density foams as sealants—fill the gaps between the building materials and are designed to help keep the stadium safe and stable by decreasing the deformation risk caused by the expansion of concrete under high temperatures. 

For those viewing the events from the comfort of their homes, AXELERON™ compounds used in telecommunication wires support the seamless transmission of the thrill of the live atmosphere onto a global digital stage. This wire solution aids in ensuring the stadium’s transmission speeds and signals are as efficient and reliable as possible, reducing the risk of signal loss. AXELERON compounds, and in some cases along with ENGAGE™ polyolefin elastomers, are also used as insulation layers for 70 kilometers of low- and medium-voltage cables to help provide reliable power throughout the venue.

Following the Olympic Games, the new Olympic Stadium will play host to countless national and international events. For Tokyo 2020 and beyond, PRIMAL™ acrylic emulsions, high-durability binders for interior wall coatings, reportedly offer excellent long-term durability and substrate adhesion, while ELASTENE™ elastomeric wall coatings help provide a solution for the exterior with dirt pick up resistance and mechanical property balance. DOWANOL™ glycol ethers are used in water-based coating systems to optimize stability and performance of the coatings while meeting low-volatile organic compound (VOC) requirements.

Additional information is available at www.dow.com. Details regarding the Olympic Games can be found at www.olympic.org/tokyo-2020.