Photo/Illutration A ceremony to mark the completion was held at the National Stadium, main venue of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, on Dec. 15. (Kazuyoshi Sako)

With just over seven months to go before the start of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, a ceremony on Dec. 15 at the new National Stadium offered a sneak preview of the main venue for the sports extravaganza.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and architect Kengo Kuma were in attendance at the event to mark the stadium's completion, along with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other officials.

Afterward, reporters were given a look at the new stadium, designed by Kuma.

The stadium, in the capital’s Shinjuku Ward, will be unveiled to the public for the first time on Dec. 21, when a gala celebrating the completion will be held.

Usain Bolt, the transcendent Jamaican sprinter who captured eight medals in three Olympics, will take part in a relay in the celebratory event, while men’s pop idol group Arashi is also expected to perform.

The stadium will make its debut as a venue for sports events on Jan. 1, when the Emperor's Cup, the final of the Japan Football Championship, will be held.

Construction of the stadium began in December 2016 after its predecessor, which served as the main venue of the 1964 Olympics in the same location, was dismantled to make way for the new facility.

The five-story stadium, standing about 47 meters tall, was completed on Nov. 30. It has a two-story basement and a total floor space of 192,000 square meters, about 3.7 times that of its predecessor. It will have a seating capacity of about 60,000 spectators during the Games.

The woodland-themed stadium is designed to let the breeze in to allow for improved air circulation and its beams include lumber harvested from all 47 prefectures, including Tokyo.

A total of 156.9 billion yen ($1.43 billion) was spent on construction of the stadium and related work in the neighborhood.