Now set to open July 23, the Tokyo Games were postponed 10
months ago at the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, and now the event
appears threatened again.
The Times of London, citing unidentified government sources,
reported that the games will have to be cancelled. It quoted an unidentified
senior member of the ruling government coalition.
"No one wants to be the first to say so but the
consensus is that it’s too difficult," the source said. "Personally,
I don’t think it’s going to happen."
In a statement Friday, the local organizing committee did
not address directly The Times story, but said the Olympics were going forward
and had the support of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
"All our delivery partners including the national
government, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee,
the IOC and the IPC (International Paralympic Committee) are fully focused on
hosting the games this summer," the statement said.
"We hope that daily life can return to normal as soon
as possible, and we will continue to make every effort to prepare for a safe
and secure games."
The Canadian Olympic Committee has confidence that the Games can be staged safely and successfully given what has been learned in sport over the last several months and the emphasis the IOC and Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee have placed on COVID-19 countermeasures. (2/3)
— David Shoemaker (@DShoemaker_COC) January 22, 2021
Canadian Olympic Committee CEO David Shoemaker put out a
statement on social media saying he believes the Games can be held.
"We are unaware of any decision taken by the Japanese
government as is being reported. Official information regarding the Games will
be communicated through the International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo 2020
Organizing Committee.
"The Canadian Olympic Committee has confidence that the
Games can be staged safely and successfully given what has been learned in
sport over the last several months and the emphasis the IOC and Tokyo 2020
Organizing Committee have placed on COVID-19 countermeasures.
"We continue in our preparation to participate at Tokyo
2020 with a focus on the health and safety of our athletes, their families, and
their communities."
The Canadian Paralympic Committee added: "We have not
received any official communication from the IPC indicating the Tokyo Games
will be cancelled as per reported. At this time, we continue to plan for the
Paralympic Games this summer with a focus on the health and safety of the
entire Canadian team.
"We will continue to monitor ongoing updates from the
IPC, IOC, and Tokyo 2020 organizing committee."
The Times of London said Japan hoped to land the 2032
Olympics. The IOC has already awarded the 2024 Olympics to Paris and the 2028
version to Los Angeles.
The idea of Tokyo waiting a decade seems unlikely, given the
cost of maintaining venues, negotiating new leases, and so forth. Tokyo has
already spent about $25 billion to organize these Olympics, most of which is
public money.
Several reports of a cancellation began to surface this
month when the Japanese government put Tokyo and other prefectures under a
state of emergency order to counter a surge of rising COVID-19 cases.
"We have at this moment, no reason whatsoever to
believe that the Olympic Games in Tokyo will not open on the 23rd of July in
the Olympic stadium in Tokyo," Bach told the Japanese news agency Kyodo on
Thursday. He also said there is "no Plan B."
(2/3) “Any official communication on the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 will come from the IOC, Tokyo Organizing Committee and the Japanese government.
— USOPC News (@USOPC_News) January 22, 2021
Senior International Olympic Committee member Richard Pound
said earlier in the week that the Olympics may be held largely without fans,
making it a mostly television event.
The Switzerland-based IOC gets 73% of its income from
selling broadcast rights and has seen its main revenue source stalled by the
Olympic postponement. A largely TV-only event would suit the IOC better than a
cancellation.
Unlike other sports businesses that offer hundreds of games,
the IOC has only two main events to sell — the Summer and Winter Olympics.
Bach hinted that radical changes may be needed to pull off
the Tokyo Olympics, which involve 11,000 athletes and tens of thousands of
coaches, officials, judges, VIPS, media and broadcasters.
About 4,400 athletes will attend the Paralympics, which are
set to open Aug. 24.
"You may not like it but sacrifices will be needed,
" Bach said. "This is why I’m saying, safety first, and no taboo in
the discussion to ensure safety."
Japan has reported fewer than 5,000 deaths from the
coronavirus and has handled the virus better than most countries. But the surge
is not tapering off in Tokyo, a sprawling metropolitan area of 35 million.
Public opinion in Japan has also turned against the games
with 80% in several polls saying they should be postponed again or cancelled.
Bach said organizers were in a better position to hold the
Olympics now than they were 10 months ago when the games were postponed.
"First of all, let me be clear that you cannot compare
March 2021 with March 2020 because there is such great progress in science,
medicine, vaccination and (virus) tests," Bach told Kyodo. "All this
was not available in March last year. Nobody knew yet how really to deal with
the pandemic, and now we know much more."
Japan is experiencing a slow roll out of vaccines. However,
the IOC has said its measures against the virus will focus on testing,
quarantines, social distancing and keeping athletes largely isolated.
It has encouraged athletes to be vaccinated but will not
require it.
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