Tokyo organizers quietly plan for potential Olympic delay
TOKYO (Reuters) – Tokyo 2020 organizers have started drafting possible alternatives to holding the Olympics this summer, two sources familiar with the talks said, in contrast to the Japanese government’s stance that postponement is not an option.
While the coronavirus outbreak has disrupted sports events around the world, Japan has been steadfast in saying that the Games will go on. The top government spokesman on Wednesday said Tokyo wasn’t preparing for postponement.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has staked his legacy as Japan’s longest-serving premier on the games and is hoping for a boom in tourism and consumer spending. At risk is more than $3 billion in domestic sponsorship, an
Olympic record, and some $12 billion spent on preparations. “Finally, we have been asked to make a simulation in case of a postponement,” said one of the sources, an official close to the organizing committee who is involved in drafting the scenarios.
Both sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. “We are making alternative plans – plan B, C, D - looking at different postponement timeframes,” said the official, adding the scenarios included cost estimates for different delays.
The options, which include scaling back the Games or holding them without spectators, would be debated by the organizing committee at the end of March, the official said.
The second source, who is also close to the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, confirmed that postponement was being discussed, including delays of one or two years.
Some organizing staff were holding out hope for a delay of a month or 45 days, said the official involved in drafting the scenarios.
The International Olympic Committee and its powerful chief, Thomas Bach, say the games will go ahead as planned, drawing fire from athletes who say that could be a health risk.
Two other insiders, both senior members of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, echoed those concerns. One of them, a board member of the organizing committee, said the decision to postpone should be made quickly. “The more they push the decision away... more and more preparations have to be made – this will cause cancellation fees to go through the roof,” the board member said.