Games hang in balance
Report suggests IOC rules out staging Olympics behind closed doors
Tokyo, March 16: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has ruled out staging the Tokyo Games behind closed doors because it would be anathema to the whole philosophy of a movement that seeks to bring people across the globe together in celebration of sport, reported the Guardian, on Monday. The IOC officials are scheduled to hold talks with heads of international sports organisations on Tuesday in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
With less than five months to go until the scheduled start of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on July 24, questions have been raised as to whether the Games can go ahead. The virus, which originated in China late last year, has killed more than 6,000 people around the world and infected more than 160,000.
Almost every major sport has shut down but the IOC and the Tokyo Organising Committee are continuing to maintain the Games will go ahead in July. While such an approach has drawn criticism, those with knowledge of the situation say the IOC wants to give athletes every chance to compete in Tokyo and it believes there is no need to make a quick decision regarding postponement given the opening ceremony is four months away, the Guardian report added.
Some sports, including horse racing and snooker, are continuing behind closed doors but such an approach has already been rejected by the IOC in internal meetings. One source said: “It would go against everything we stand for. The Olympics is more than just a series of competitions, it is about bringing everyone together to celebrate sport.”
Another put it more bluntly: “An event with closed doors and no spectators is not an option.”
Any major disruption to the Games’ scheduling would have serious consequences for sponsors, broadcasters, 11,000 Olympic and 4,400 Paralympic athletes, staff, airlines, hotels and volunteers and could saddle organisers with $1bn in lost ticket sales.
The IOC has accepted it will need to relax qualification standards so athletes who are on the borderline can be selected even if they are unable to compete in the coming months because of the pandemic.
Nearly 60% of athletes have qualified but with qualifying events, including those for climbing, boxing, fencing and judo, having been cancelled or postponed, many athletes are worried about being left in the lurch.
The problem will be discussed at an executive board meeting on Tuesday and the IOC is already looking at ways to house more athletes in Tokyo if the number increases. Olympic organisers have also held conference calls with individual sports to discuss how best to plan for the Games amid the Covid-19 outbreak.
The Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, said on Monday he wanted the Olympics, which has cost at least $12bn and attracted more than $3bn in domestic sponsorship, to represent a world victory over coronavirus.