TOKYO (AP) – IOC Chairman Thomas Bach and local organizers oppose reports that the postponed Tokyo Olympics will be canceled.
The Tokyo Games, now kicking off on July 23, were postponed 10 months ago at the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, and now the event looks threatened once again.
The Times of London reported that the games should be canceled, citing unknown government sources. It quoted an unidentified senior member of the ruling coalition government.
“Nobody wants to be the first to say that, but the consensus is that it’s too difficult,” the source said. “I personally don’t think it’s going to happen.”
In a statement Friday, the local organizing committee did not directly address The Times’ story, but said the Olympics would continue and had the support of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
“All of 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 everyday life can return to normal as soon as possible, and we will continue to do everything we can to prepare for safe and secure games.”
Managu Sakai, the deputy cabinet secretary and an ally of the prime minister, also shot the story.
“There is no such fact and we clearly deny (the report),” he said.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike told her regular press conference on Friday, “I’ve never heard anything like it.” She even suggested action against the British newspaper.
“Maybe we should protest,” she said.
The Times of London said Japan hoped to win the 2032 Olympics. The IOC has already awarded the 2024 Olympics to Paris and the 2028 version to Los Angeles.
The idea that Tokyo will wait a decade seems unlikely given the cost of maintaining sites, negotiating new leases, and so on. Tokyo has already spent about $ 25 billion to host these Olympics, most of which is public money.
Several reports of a cancellation began to surface this month when the Japanese government placed Tokyo and other prefectures under a state of emergency to counter a wave of increasing COVID-19 cases.
“We have no reason at this point to believe that the Tokyo Olympics will not open on July 23 at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo,” Bach told Japan’s Kyodo news agency on Thursday. He also said there is “no plan B”.
Richard Pound, a member of the senior International Olympic Committee, said earlier this week that the Olympics may be held largely without fans, making it primarily a televised event.
The Switzerland-based IOC derives 73% of its revenue from the sale of broadcasting rights and has seen its main source of income come to a standstill with the delay of the Olympics. An event that’s mostly TV-only would suit the IOC better than a cancellation.
Unlike other sports companies that offer hundreds of games, the IOC only has two major events to sell: the Summer Olympics and Winter Games.
Bach hinted that radical changes may be necessary for the Tokyo Olympics to succeed, involving 11,000 athletes and tens of thousands of coaches, officials, judges, VIPS, media and broadcasters.
About 4,400 athletes will attend the Paralympics, which will open on August 24.
“You may not like it, but sacrifices are needed,” said Bach. “That is why I say: safety first and not a taboo in the discussion to guarantee safety.”
Japan has reported fewer than 5,000 deaths from the coronavirus and has been better at dealing with the virus than most countries. But the wave is not diminishing in Tokyo, a sprawling metropolitan area of 35 million people.
Public opinion in Japan has also turned against the matches: 80% in various polls say they should be postponed or canceled again.
Bach said the organizers were now in a better position to hold the Olympics 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 so much progress in science, medicine, vaccination and (virus) testing,” Bach told Kyodo. “All this was not available in March last year. No one knew how to handle the pandemic anymore, and now we know a lot more. “
Japan is experiencing a slow introduction 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 get vaccinated, but it is not necessary.
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