Cost concern if Tokyo games are cancelled

Cancelling the Olympic Games in Tokyo amid the coronavirus pandemic could cost two or three times more than staging the event, the president of the organising committee has warned.

Tokyo 2020 bosses presented a status report on the games, which have already been delayed by 12 months, to the International Olympic Committee session which was held virtually yesterday.

Enthusiasm for the games in Japan appears to be waning, with almost 30% of respondents to a recent phone poll of Tokyo residents calling for the event to be cancelled.

Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori took a dim view of that suggestion and said: “If we cancel the games the cost will be two times the current cost that is required.”

Organisers confirmed that all venues, including those staging the sports and the Olympic and Paralympic village, had now been secured for next year.

Tokyo 2020 chief executive Toshiro Muto said they had also presented 200 ways of “simplifying” the games which would help keep the increased costs of rescheduling to a minimum.

He said one area they were looking at was a reduction in the number of stakeholders attending, for instance from national Olympic committees.

He stressed there would be no impact of any of these changes on athletes or the competition.

Rules on staging protests during Olympic Games competition and ceremonies will be discussed with athletes, IOC president Thomas Bach has said.

Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter states the field of play and medal events should be “separate from political, religious or any other type of interference” but it has been criticised recently.

The newly-formed Athletics Association, set up to provide a louder voice for track and field competitors, set out its opposition to Rule 50 in a statement issued yesterday, arguing that “very little has changed” since John Carlos and Tommie Smith were sanctioned for their Black Power salute at the 1968 Games in Mexico City.”

Bach confirmed he would stand for a second four-year term as president at next year’s elections, in Athens in June.