Page 38 - Nile Explorer Issue 007

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Andrew Parsons, the President of the preparations, and I am convinced that that had booked events years in advance
IPC, commented: “It is fantastic news taking this decision promptly will help will potentially have to scrap them to
that we could find new dates so quickly speed up future preparations. I would make way for the rescheduled Olympics
for the Tokyo 2020 Games. The new like to thank all the stakeholders, and there is still uncertainty about
dates provide certainty for the athletes, including the host city Tokyo and the whether ticket-holders will get refund-
reassurance for the stakeholders and Government of Japan, for their hard ed.
something to look forward to for the work during this short period. The Another thorny issue is the athletes'
whole world. When the Paralympic Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee will village, which was due to be converted
Games do take place in Tokyo next year, continue to work hard for the success of into luxury apartments after the Games,
they will be an extra-special display of next year's Games.” some of which have already found
humanity uniting as one, a global buyers.
celebration of human resilience and a It has previously been confirmed that all
sensational showcase of sport. With the athletes already qualified and quota The postponement is a blow to the host
Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games 512 places already assigned for the Olympic country, which has spent more than
days away, the priority for all those Games Tokyo 2020 will remain $12bn on the event, while huge sums are
involved in the Paralympic Movement unchanged. This is a result of the fact also at stake for sponsors and broadcast-
must be to focus on staying safe with that these Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, ers. Goldman Sachs estimated this
their friends and family during this in agreement with Japan, will remain month that Japan would lose $4.5bn
unprecedented and difficult time.” the Games of the XXXII Olympiad. (550bn yen) in inbound and domestic
The President of the Tokyo 2020 The postponement has handed organiz- consumption in 2020 if the Olympics
did not take place as planned.
Organising Committee, Mori Yoshirō, ers the "unprecedented" task of
said: “IOC President Thomas Bach and rearranging an event seven years in the But the host nation greeted the IOC’s
the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee making, and Tokyo 2020 chief executive decision to postpone the Games by up
held a conference call today to discuss in Toshiro Muto has admitted the to a year with a mixture of disappoint-
detail the revised dates of the Tokyo additional costs will be "massive". ment and resignation. Opinion polls
2020 Games. Minister for the Tokyo taken before the announcement indicat-
Olympic and Paralympic Games According to the latest budget, the ed that the Japanese public had already
Hashimoto Seiko and Tokyo Governor Games were due to cost US$12.6 billion accepted that Tokyo 2020 would be
Koike Yuriko joined the call. I proposed (S$18 billion), shared between the orga- sport’s biggest victims of the coronavi-
that the Games should be hosted nizing committee, the government of rus pandemic. According to a Kyodo
between July and August 2021, and I Japan and Tokyo city. The postpone- news poll last week, almost 70% of
really appreciate that President Bach, ment affects every aspect of the organi- respondents said they did not expect the
having discussed this proposal with the zation - hotels, ticketing, venues and Games to go ahead this summer. •
various international sports federations transport being among the major head-
and other related organisations, kindly aches.
accepted my proposal. A certain amount Hotels have had to cancel bookings,
of time is required for the selection and dealing them a bitter blow at a time
qualification of athletes and for their when tourism is already being ham-
training and preparation, and the mered by the coronavirus. Some venues
consensus was that staging the resched-
uled Games during the summer vaca-
tion in Japan would be preferable. In
terms of transport, arranging volunteers
and the provision of tickets for those in
Japan and overseas, as well as allowing
for the COVID-19 situation, we think
that it would be better to reschedule the
Games to one year later than planned, in
the summer of 2021. Notwithstanding
the postponement of the Olympic and
Paralympic Games for the first time in
history, and various other issues that
have already been highlighted, the event
schedule is the cornerstone of future
File Photo: International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach
38 | The Nile Explorer 007