April 3, 2020
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The International Olympic Committee cannot foresee the additional cost risk from the postponement of the Olympic Games in Tokyo to 2021 for the time being. “That would be premature. I’ve seen numbers, but that’s speculation. There are tens of thousands of budget items that need to be examined, ”said IOC Olympic Director Christophe Dubi.
Experts estimate that the relocation will cost Japan at least two billion euros. Dubi admitted “additional costs for the organizers, the IOC and the Olympic family”. However, the exact calculations are “an ongoing process”. It is also unclear whether the IOC will also contribute to the unplanned additional expenditure.
The priority for the Olympic makers is now to first make new agreements with the 41 planned competition venues for the Tokyo games, some of which will be booked as early as next summer. In addition, the specially set up crisis team wants to ensure that the more than 5,000 apartments in the Olympic Village will also be available in 2021. “It’s on the list with the utmost urgency,” said Dubi.
Olympia in Tokyo is scheduled to open on July 23, 2021, almost exactly a year later than originally planned. The postponement due to the corona pandemic has slowed down a huge machine, restarting preparations is a “massive operation,” said Dubi. A willingness to compromise is therefore necessary on all sides. “We have to be creative and innovative.”
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