TOKYO - TOKYO'S bid committee has finalised its venue plans for the 2016 Olympics, promising a compact games of tightly grouped venues.

Among the plans that were announced by the bid committee on Thursday was a marathon course that will begin at National Stadium - the main stadium for the 1964 Olympics - and finish at the new 2016 Olympic Stadium on Tokyo's waterfront.

The aquatics venue, originally designed as a temporary venue, will be permanent under the final plan.

'I am delighted that we have finalised our venue plans,' said Ichiro Kono, chairman and CEO of Tokyo 2016. 'The new developments of our plan are very exciting, especially the plans that ensure that legacy is at the heart of Tokyo's 2016 plans.'

Under Tokyo's plan, nearly all training facilities will be within 30 minutes of the Olympic Village and competition venues which will all be within eight kilometers of the main stadium.

Only five of the 34 venues in the finalized plans will be built specifically for the Olympics. -- AP