Zaha Hadid's 'Futuristic Mothership' to Form Centrepiece of 2020 Tokyo Olympics [VIDEO]

The Iraqi-born architect Zaha Hadid's £839 million design for a new Japanese National Stadium is to form the centrepiece of the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo.

Tokyo on Saturday fought off bids from rival cities Madrid and Istanbul to be named next Olympic city after the torch passes from Rio in 2016.

London-based Hadid topped a list of 46 entries, including Japanese architects Kazuyo Sejima, and Toyo Ito.

Her futuristic, swirling vision includes a retractable roof and seating for 80,000 people, and has been described by critics as resembling a space-age "mothership".

The new stadium in Tokyo's Kasumigaoka district will play host to the 2020 Games' opening and closing ceremonies.

Her entry was praised by the chairman of the selection panel, the Japanese architect Tadao Ando, for its "dynamic, futuristic design", which he hoped would serve as "a shrine for world sport for the next 100 years".

Hadid, who became the first woman, and the first Muslim, to win the prestigious Pritzker prize in 2004, previously designed the Aquatics Centre that formed the arena for the London 2012 Olympic swimming events.

"It is an honour for us to be selected to build the new National Stadium of Japan," said Hadid.

"Our three decades of research into Japanese architecture and urbanism is evident in our winning design and we greatly look forward to building the new National Stadium," she said.

"The stadium will become an integral part of Tokyo's urban fabric, directly engaging with the surrounding cityscape to connect and carve the elegant forms of the design.

"The unique structure is both light and cohesive, defining a silhouette that integrates with the city. The perimeter of the stadium will be an inhabited bridge a continuous exhibition space that creates an exciting new journey for visitors."

Hadid was previously honoured with Japan's Premium Imperiale award for contributions to architecture in 2009.

Among her most celebrated buildings are the Maxxi Museum in Rome, and the Z-shaped Evelyn Grace Academy in Brixton, South London.

She is the designer of the Dongdaemun Plaza in Seoul, South Korea, which formed the centrepiece of the city's designation World Design Capital 2010, and is scheduled for completion in 2014.

The new sporting hub in Tokyo will replace the ageing Kasumigaoka National Stadium, which was built in 1958 and served as the primary venue for the 1964 Olympic Games.

Watch Zaha Hadid's video walk-through of the futuristic new stadium on the New National Stadium YouTube account.