TOKYO 2020 Coordination Commission Chairman John Coates has said his “gut feeling” is the postponed Olympic Games will take place next year, saying holding events with fans was part of the planning for the rescheduled event.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe and International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach agreed to postpone the Games in March as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. But doubts still remain about the rescheduled event with less than one year to go with the pandemic causing social and travel restrictions across the world.
Coates said his feeling was that the Games would take place next year.
The IOC vice president also said organizers were including crowds in their planning for the Games, although leading officials from both the IOC and Tokyo 2020 acknowledged holding events without spectators is a possibility.
Several sporting events have resumed behind closed doors or with restrictions on fans in recent months.
“We owe it to the athletes to make sure this happens and a generation of athletes don’t miss the opportunity of the Games,” Coates said. “I’m putting a lot of work into it and my gut feeling is yes, we will [have an Olympics next year].”
“The crowd are an important part of it and it is very much in our planning to maintain that,” he added.
Tokyo 2020 achieved one of its early tasks following the postponement, having secured all 42 venues required to host the Games. This followed agreements being reached for the Athletes’ Village and the Big Sight, the venue for the International Broadcasting Centre and Main Press Centre.
The competition schedule for the Games in 2021 will remain the same—from July 23 to August 8 next year.
The IOC and Tokyo 2020 repeatedly said the Games will be simplified next year as part of efforts to reduce costs created by the postponement. Tokyo 2020 has reportedly identified 200 potential ideas where savings could be made.
Coates suggested that the athletes and sports will not be impacted by the measures taken to reduce costs, but said cultural aspects could be cut back.
“It does mean we have to rethink the way we present the Olympic Games and continue to rethink it,” Coates told the Sydney Morning Herald. “I think we will further reduce the complexity of the Games and continue to reassess our role as an IOC.”
“As far as the IOC is concerned, President Bach has said the sports and the field of play and what will remain available for the athletes will remain,” he said. “There’s no talk of changing or reducing the size of the Games in that area.”
“In Tokyo, if we are looking to reduce complexity—and we haven’t finalized these things yet—there might be less focus on the cultural aspects of an Opening Ceremony but retaining the traditional aspects,” he added.
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Image credits: AP