Designed by the Japanese architect Toyo Ito, the World Games' main stadium, which will be unveiled at an opening ceremony here on Thursday, is shaped by a sensitivity to those conflicting sensations.
The unexpected victory has come at just the right time for Japanese rugby officials, whose preparations for the 2019 tournament were thrown into disarray when a the design for the main stadium, which will host Olympic track and field events at the 2020 Games in Tokyo, was scrapped amid soaring costs.
On 27 July 2012, when the torch is lit inside the main stadium, London will become the only three-time host of the event since the Olympics were revitalized in 1896.
As well as the main stadium, the complex will include a swimming pool, gym and artificial football pitches.
The main stadium and the athletes' village will be laid out on a slug-shaped area in the Lower Lea Valley, which despite its picturesque name is a wasteland three miles east of London's financial district that today is scarred by car-breakers' yards and derelict factories.
About 75% of the total of 8.8m tickets have been made available for sale to the British public, but for the most high-profile events in the main stadium and the velodrome the proportion will be much lower.
The IOC signed its own $100m£64m4m), 10-year sponsorship deal with Dow around 12 months before London 2012 organisers awarded it the sponsorship of the fabric wrap that will surround the main stadium, in the wake of the withdrawal of government funding.
The Olympic flag that will be raised at the Opening Ceremony and will fly over the main stadium during the Games dates back to the 1980s.
"It is an alternative to sending players out on loan, if the games are played in the main stadium with supporters watching – the loan system will still be used where it's right for the player," says Westley.
