Olympics: No further delays, stresses organising chief

TOKYO • The Tokyo Olympics cannot be delayed beyond the year-long postponement already forced by the coronavirus outbreak, the organising committee's president yesterday warned.

Yoshiro Mori gave a resounding "absolutely no" when he was asked if there was a chance of further pushing back the 2020 Games beyond their rescheduled July 23, 2021 opening, according to Kyodo News agency.

"Also thinking about athletes and issues over Games management, it is technically difficult to delay it by two years," he said.

The 82-year-old added that he had asked Prime Minister Shinzo Abe whether Japan should consider a two-year postponement but "the prime minister decided that one year is the way to go".

Under heavy pressure from athletes and sports associations, the Japanese organisers and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) late last month agreed to an unprecedented delay of the Games.

While the organisers and Japanese officials claim that Tokyo 2020 will be a opportunity to showcase the world's triumph over the Covid-19 disease, that seems fanciful, especially as a vaccine, if at all possible, is at least 12-18 months away.

As such, questions have arisen about whether even a year's postponement is sufficient, with many experts casting doubt.

Earlier this week, a Japanese expert who has criticised the country's response to Covid-19 warned he is "very pessimistic" that the postponed Olympics can be held in 2021.

"To be honest with you, I don't think the Olympics is likely to be held next year," said Kentaro Iwata, a professor of infectious diseases at Kobe University.

He said that holding the Games would require not only Japan but also the rest of the world to have the virus under control, which is an unlikely prospect if a vaccine is not developed in time.

The organising committee itself has been hit by Covid-19, confirming on Wednesday night that a staff member in his 30s working at its Tokyo headquarters had tested positive for the disease.

Postponing the Games is a massive logistical undertaking, and it is also expected to incur significant additional costs - estimated to be around US$4.3 billion (S$6.1 billion).

The costs of rearranging the world's foremost sporting event and who will pay for them has yet to be clarified by either the IOC or the Japanese government.

However, the local authorities are already planning to implement cost-cutting measures in response.

Mori told Kyodo that the opening and closing ceremonies would need to undergo "drastic reviews" in order to save money, adding that the organisers would ask the ceremonies' directors to consider including a message about the coronavirus crisis.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE