Tokyo 2020 Olympics officials are looking into ways to reduce the size of games postponed to the summer of 2021 due to the Corona pandemic, with reports of simplification of the opening ceremony and a reduction in the number of spectators. Yesterday, Tokyo Prefecture Yoriko Koike told reporters that the organizers were studying what could be "rationalized and simplified", given the high costs of organizing the first postponed Olympics in history.
In March, the International Olympic Committee announced the postponement of the games due to the outbreak of the "Covid-19" virus, which caused the suspension of the global sports movement, and the death of about 390 thousand people.
The new date for the games became July 23, 2021, but the organizers face unprecedented challenges to reorganizing the event, which requires rearranging everything from stadiums to transportation. Local media indicated that simplifying the plans could include reducing the number of spectators in the competitions held in closed stadiums, and reducing the number of participants in the opening and closing ceremonies.
The daily "Yomiuri Shimbun" quoted an unidentified source that everyone, including athletes and fans, must take tests of the new Corona virus, "the highest priority is to avoid the worst scenario, which is to cancel the games."
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said last month that the 2021 Games would be "the last option", stressing that the delay could not last forever. He declined to say whether the discovery of a vaccine would be a prerequisite for holding the games, but he did not favor their vaccination behind closed doors.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said it would be "difficult" to hold the Olympics if the Corona virus was not contained. The head of the organizing committee, Yoshiro Mori, indicated that the games should be canceled if the virus is not controlled next year.