TOKYO (AP) — The Tokyo Olympics will open next year in the same time slot scheduled for this year’s games.
Organizers in Tokyo announced on Monday that the opening ceremony is scheduled for July 23, 2021, almost precisely a year after the games were originally set to kick off this year.
“Having a schedule for the games is crucial for our preparation,” said Yoshiro Mori, the president of the Tokyo organizing committee. “This will only speed up our progress.”
The Olympics were postponed until 2021 by the IOC and Japanese organizers last week due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The games this year were originally set to begin on July 24 and end on Aug. 9. However, due to a delay of nearly exactly one year, the rescheduled closing ceremony will now take place on Aug. 8.
Discussions had been held about moving the Olympics to spring, aligning it with the flourishing of Japan’s renowned cherry blossoms. However, this would also result in a conflict with European football and North American sports leagues.
Mori mentioned that a spring Olympics was contemplated, but scheduling the games later provides more room to finish the numerous qualifying events that were delayed due to the virus outbreak.
“Mori said we wanted to provide more space for the athletes to qualify.”
Following weeks of resistance, local organizers and the IOC succumbed to pressure from athletes, national Olympic bodies and sports federations last week, leading to the postponement of the Tokyo Games. This marks an unprecedented event in Olympic history, even though there have been numerous cancellations during times of war.
The dates for the Paralympics were changed to August 24-September 5.
The scheduled world championships in track and swimming were expected to clash with the new Olympic dates. However, it is now anticipated that these events will also be rescheduled.
“The IOC has engaged in detailed conversations with the pertinent international federations,” said Toshiro Muto, CEO of the organizing committee. “I am under the impression that the IFs have agreed to the games taking place in the summer.”
Muto announced the decision was finalized on Monday. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) further confirmed that it was backed by all the international sports federations. The decision was primarily based on three factors: ensuring the health of athletes, protecting the interests of the athletes and Olympic sport, and considering the international sports calendar.
“The IOC stated that the new dates for the Games provide health authorities and everyone involved in the event’s organisation with ample time to navigate the constantly evolving situation and the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The new dates also offer the advantage of minimising any disruption to the international sports schedule caused by the postponement, to keep the interests of the athletes and International Federations intact.”
Mori and Muto have both stated that the expense of rescheduling the Olympics will be “massive,” with local reports predicting costs in the billions of dollars. They have also indicated that the majority of these costs will be shouldered by Japanese taxpayers.
Muto pledged transparency in determining the costs and deciding how testing times are divided up.
“Muto questioned, “The Olympics was set for this summer, as a result, all venues had forsaken hosting other events during this time. What’s our approach then? Moreover, we’ll need assurances when rescheduling, and there’s a chance this may bring about rent charges. Thus, there will be expenses to deal with and we must consider each of them. I believe this will be a more challenging process.”
Emeritus professor of sports economics at Kansai University, Katsuhiro Miyamoto, estimates the costs could reach as high as $4 billion. This figure would encompass expenses such as maintaining and refitting stadiums, paying rentals, penalties, and other costs.
Officially, Japan is allocating $12.6 billion for the organisation of the Olympics. However, an audit bureau of the Japanese government argues that the actual costs are double the official figure. Only $5.6 billion of the spending comes from a privately funded operating budget, with the rest being public money.
According to documents from the organizing committee, the International Olympic Committee, based in Switzerland, is donating $1.3 billion. This contribution from the IOC is being allocated to the operating budget.
Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, has frequently praised the Tokyo Olympics as being the most prepared ever. On the contrary, Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso, who was a shooting competitor in the 1976 Olympics and was born in 1940, described them as “cursed.”
Japan’s war with China led to the cancellation of the 1940 Olympics that were scheduled to be held in Tokyo.
Tsunekazu Takeda, an IOC member and the head of the Japanese Olympic Committee, was forced to resign last year amid a bribery scandal, in the lead-up to the Olympics.
