Japan plans to build a sports venue for the 32nd edition of the Olympic Games, better known as the 2020 Summer Olympics, in the capital, Tokyo, that could well be the most expensive sports stadium in the world.

The National Stadium would cost an estimate of 252 billion yens (two billion US dollars), which will make it the costliest in world history, and beyond the 1.6-billion-dollar MetLife stadium that was completed in 2010 for the New York Jets and Giants professional football teams in the United States.

The estimate is a 55-percent increase over an earlier forecast of 163 billion yens (1.3 billion dollars).

The stadium’s ribbed roof will reportedly be mounted on huge steel arches, resembling a bicycle helmet. The roof’s southern end will also be transparent to let in sunlight and support a natural grass field.

Moreover, soil ventilation and temperature control systems will be fitted in the underground.

Movable seats will also give the spectators the chance to get closer for more intimate sporting events as the stadium will have earthquake-resistant features.

"The spiraling costs come as no surprise. Most of the recent Olympics Games and World Cups have seen final costs come in far above initial estimates," Victor Matheson, a professor at the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts, said.

Andrew Zimbalist, an economics professor at Smith College in Massachusetts, added that the cost would likely rise further during construction, which is due to start in October.

Tokyo’s National Stadium has been designed by the globally acclaimed Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid.

At least five stadiums worth more than one billion dollars have been built so far across the globe. Four of the sports venues were constructed for American football and baseball teams, while the fifth is Wembley Stadium for soccer in London.

The 2020 Summer Olympics are planned to be staged from July 24 to August 9, 2020 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo was named the host city of the games at the 125th International Olympic Committee (IOC) session in the Argentine capital city of Buenos Aires on September 7, 2013.