The 2020 Olympic games which was scheduled for 24 June to 9 August 2020 in Tokyo was postponed in March due to Coronavirus pandemic as the world struggle to contain the spread. The game is now set to take place from 23 July to 8 August, 2021.
The postponement of the games came at high a cost for the International Olympic Committee (IOC). With the costs running into “several hundreds of million dollars” according to the IOC president Thomas Bach.
This was made known in a letter he sent to the Olympic movement warning that IOC might make some cuts even though it would honour it’s financial obligations to Tokyo.
“We also need to look into and review all the services that we provide for these postponed Games,” he said. “The IOC will continue to be responsible for its share of the operational burden and its share of the costs for these postponed Games.” IOC reserves is said to hold approximately $1billion in reserves.
In a statement on Tuesday, the head of the organising committee, Yoshiro Mori warned that the Games cannot be postponed again and will be “scrapped”, If the coronavirus pandemic is not brought under control within a year.
Health experts are warning of the risks involved in holding the games in 2021 without a vaccine or effective treatment drugs for Covid-19. Though casting a doubt on it’s feasilibity.
On Tuesday, the President of Japan’s medical association, Yoshitake Yokokuta said it will be “difficult” to hold the Olympics in 2021 without vaccines or effective drugs being developed. He however added “I am not saying that Japan should or should not hold the Olympics, but that it would be so difficult”.
A task force, which brings together the IOC and various partners, including organizing committee, “has established the priorities and management strategies to make these postponed Olympic Games feasible and successful”, Bach said.
“At this moment, nobody knows what the realities of the post-coronavirus world will look like,” Bach said. “What is clear, however, is that probably none of us will be able to sustain every single initiative or event that we were planning before this crisis hit.”
Written by
Ifunanya Ikueze
