The quicker you move, the more money you save. That seemed to be lesson the International Olympic Committee said organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Games can learn from the Rio Summer Olympics. At the end of a three-day meeting, the IOC urged Japanese organizers to move forward with their preparations in order to reduce costs.

Discussions of budget management dominated the meetings in which more than 500 officials took part.

Tokyo is hoping to avoid last-minute money worries by taking action now in the face of construction costs that have soared since the city launched its bid for the Olympics in 2011.

So far, proposals have been made by the Tokyo city government to move rowing and canoe/kayak sprint events to an existing course 400 kilometers north of Tokyo, and to use older facilities in the capital for volleyball and swimming.

The IOC said that it was satisfied with Tokyo’s progress, despite having to rip up its original main stadium plan because of costs and an ongoing battle between organizers and the city government over the ballooning Olympic budget.

“The sooner you get out there and you are able to enter into your procurement contracts, to commence the construction, then the cheaper it is going to be. Labor, scarcity of labour, scarcity of material does not become as great an issue,” said John Coates, IOC vice president.

“I have heard some examples here in particular in the security area where we think that that, if you are in a position to move very soon, there are some significant savings to found in that area.”