NOW BACH’S TALKING
INTERNATIONAL Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said it would have been easier to cancel Tokyo 2020 instead of postponing the Games to next year. Tokyo 2020 was moved back to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic with the shift leaving organizers with a huge logistical headache. Major issues include securing venues and the Athletes’ Village for next year, as well as hotels, transport, ticketing and volunteers.
There are also huge financial considerations with the IOC estimating that the cost to itself will be $650 million. Organizers pledged to hold scaled-back Olympics next year in a bid to cut costs.
“Canceling the Games due to force majeure would have been easier for the IOC and we would have had the insurance revenue,” Bach said. “But we are there to organize the Games, not to cancel them.”
“We have to see if we can make improvements to the master plan, make efforts on the services we offer to participants, on transport... the crisis has shown that we need more solidarity in sport but also in society,” he said.
“I hope that this will lead to better cooperation between the International Federations and the major event organizers,” he added.
Last week, reports claimed that Tokyo 2020 was close to securing all of the sporting venues for 2021 but this was downplayed by organizers.
They previously confirmed that 80 percent of venues were in place, with the Athletes’ Village, which is due to be sold as housing, and the Tokyo Big Sight, the location of the Main Press Centre and International Broadcasting Center, proving to be particular stumbling blocks.
Next year’s Olympics are due to run between July 23 and August 8 but fears remain that the coronavirus pandemic will not have eased significantly.
Some suggested that a vaccine must be developed for the Games to go ahead safely, while a survey this month found that 77 percent of Japanese believe that Tokyo 2020 “cannot be held next year.”
Tokyo 2020, meanwhile, confirmed it will issue ticket refunds to people unable to attend the Olympics and Paralympics.
Around 4.48 million tickets for the Olympics have already been sold as well as 970,000 for the Paralympics through the official ticketing web site and various lotteries.
Kyodo News said that tickets should still be valid for the postponed Games, but consideration will be given to fans who are unable to attend due to the delay.
It has been widely suggested that a reduction in spectators is among the Covid-19 countermeasures being considered for Tokyo 2020.
The potential for a behind-closed-doors Olympics, if social distancing remains required around the world, has also been raised as a possibility.