Tokyo likely to organize Games next summer
TOKYO — The Tokyo Olympics organizers seem to be leaning away from holding the rescheduled games in the spring of 2021. And the signs are pointing toward the summer of 2021.
Speaking to the Japanese news agency Kyodo on Saturday, the organizing committee President Yoshiro Mori said: “The games are meant to be in summer, so we should be thinking of a time between June and September.”
Earlier, after the postponement was announced in Switzerland on Tuesday, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach had left open the possibility of spring dates.
The postponed games were to have opened on July 24 and closed on Aug 9.
Mori suggested that some decisions could be made as early as this week when the organizing committee’s executive board meets.
The IOC said a final decision could come in weeks, but it is now much more likely to be announced earlier, sources said.
The Japanese state broadcaster NHK on Saturday reported that July 23, 2021 is the new target date.
The IOC was due to convene an emergency meeting of its decisionmaking executive board on Sunday to discuss the decision. And a final decision will be made after consulting local organizers, the IOC, and hundreds of sponsors, sports federations and broadcasters.
According to some reports, Bach told reporters that some federations, including those representing swimming, table tennis, triathlon and equestrian events, had voiced a preference for the spring. But that will lead to a clash with the major soccer leagues and many of the richest US sports leagues.
The IOC also wants to steer clear of the European soccer championships, which are being moved to next year, and usually take place in June.
Athletes left in limbo
Meanwhile, athletes have been left in limbo by the postponement, many have been forced to stop training because of the novel coronavirus outbreak. Even those who can train have no idea about how to schedule training to reach peak fitness at the right time.
Mori and organizing committee CEO Toshiro Muto have both said that the added cost of rescheduling will be “enormous”.
Early estimates put those costs at between $2 billion and $3 billion with the Japanese government likely to foot most of the cost.
The organizers said they were spending $12.6 billion to stage the Games. However, a government audit report said they would cost at least twice as much. All but $5.6 billion is public money.
The IOC contributed $1.3 billion to the Tokyo Olympics, according local organizing committee documents. It has a reserve fund of about $2 billion, and also has insurance coverage.