Doubts still hanging over Tokyo Games
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday that the Tokyo Olympics could not take place next year unless the coronavirus pandemic is contained, as the city’s governor requested an extension of Japan’s state of emergency.
The International Olympic Committee and the Japanese government last month postponed the Games until July 2021 because of the coronavirus crisis.
With the epidemic’s worldwide infection rate climbing and experts suggesting a vaccine is a long way off, doubts have been raised about the chances of holding the huge event next year.
“We’ve been saying the Olympic and Paralympic Games must be held in a complete form, in that athletes and spectators can all participate safely. It would be impossible to hold the Games in such a complete form unless the coronavirus pandemic is contained,” Abe said in response to an opposition lawmaker.
Abe staked part of his legacy as Japan’s longest-serving premier on holding the Games and was hoping for a boom in tourism and consumer spending. Japan gathered some $3 billion in domestic sponsorship, an Olympic record, and spent close to $13 billion on preparations.
The prime minister said on Wednesday that the Olympics “must be held in a way that shows the world has won its battle against the coronavirus pandemic,” and cautioned that Japan should “brace for a protracted battle”.
Tokyo confirmed 47 new infections on Wednesday, private broadcaster Nippon Television reported. The national tally stands at 13,895 infections, including 413 deaths, national broadcaster NHK said.
While that tally is still low compared to other nations, critics say Japan is not doing enough testing to reveal the scope of a problem that has driven some hospitals to the brink.
Reflecting that view, Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike told reporters that the situation in the Japanese capital remained “difficult” and called on Abe’s cabinet to extend the nationwide emergency, which is due to end on May 6.
Abe’s comments echoed statements made by other senior Japanese officials this week.
Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori told Nikkan Sports on Tuesday that the Games would be “scrapped” if they could not take place in 2021. Also on Tuesday, the head of the Japan Medical Association (JMA), Yoshitake Yokokura, told a news briefing that “unless an effective vaccine is developed, I expect hosting the Olympics will be difficult”.
Meanwhile, the International Olympic Committee is reviewing its budget and priorities due to the pandemic and postponed Tokyo 2020 Games, president Thomas Bach said on Wednesday, with adjustments necessary to meet changed priorities.
Calling in an open letter for a ‘comprehensive debate’ to shape sport in a post-coronavirus world, the German proposed a wide-ranging consultation on the future challenges and possibilities. Bach said the Olympic movement as a whole might “have to look more closely into the proliferation of sports events”.
“The financial pressure on all the stakeholders, including NOCs (national Olympic committees), IFs (international federations) and Organising Committees, may require more consolidation in this respect.”
Bach confirmed that the decision to postpone the Tokyo Games to next year would mean the IOC having to shoulder several hundred million dollars of costs.
Japan has spent close to $13 billion on preparations.
“We also need to look into and review all the services that we provide for these postponed Games,” added Bach, who said everyone would have to make sacrifices and compromises.
He declared it too early to say what the future would look like but it was clear “probably none of us will be able to sustain every single initiative or event that we were planning before this crisis hit. “We will all need to take a close look at the scope of some of our activities and make the necessary adjustments to the new realities.”-