Games organisers mulling over 3 crowd scenarios

TOKYO • The Tokyo Olympic organising committee is preparing for various scenarios at the Summer Games from July 23 to Aug 8, including holding events without spectators, its president Yoshiro Mori has said.

"We have been doing all kinds of simulations. Basically, I don't think (the Games without fans) is something that would happen or something that I would like to do, but it won't be a simulation unless we think about it," the 83-year-old said.

The Japanese government has started weighing the possibility of staging the Games without spectators, on the assumption that Tokyo and the rest of the world may not successfully bring infections under control by July.

The authorities are considering three options - not imposing a limit on fans, placing a ceiling of 50 per cent of the venues' capacity or holding events behind closed doors. Japan is scheduled to decide by the end of spring the number of fans allowed at each venue and whether to admit fans from overseas.

But, despite the unpredictable outlook of the coronavirus pandemic, Mori and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga have insisted that Japan will host a "safe and secure" Olympics in six months by implementing numerous Covid-19 counter-measures to protect the health of those involved.

The details have yet to be fleshed out but former premier Mori said there is "no certain criteria" to determine how safe and secure the Games could be.

He added that he will hold talks with Olympic Minister Seiko Hashimoto, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach next month to step up preparations.

Meanwhile, Andrew Ryan, the executive director of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (Asoif), said the 28 Olympic sports federations under its umbrella have taken a big financial hit due to the postponement of the Games by a year.

However, he insisted that even if the Olympics were axed, they would not be at risk of bankruptcy.

"We are all committed to delivering the Games this year," Ryan said. "If a total catastrophe happened, there would be painful cuts to budgets and difficult choices... But I don't think there are federations thinking, 'it is all over for us' if it was not to happen."

All Olympic federations receive a chunk of cash after each Games, with top sports such as athletics receiving about US$40 million (S$53.2 million) but that injection of funds has been put on hold.

Ryan added that "about half" of the association's federations had taken out a loan, amounting to "about US$40 million in total".

ASIA NEWS NETWORK/KYODO NEWS, REUTERS