Tokyo Olympics: Organisers face tough task as one-year countdown nears

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Bengaluru, July 21: Though the one-year countdown for the Tokyo Olympics begins on Thursday (July 23), the celebrations are likely to be subdued, especially with too much uncertainty surrounding the games in the wake of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the final implications it is going to have on the biggest sporting spectacle of the world.

On July 24 last year, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach presided over a glitzy ceremony in the Japanese capital and declared Tokyo the best prepared host city he had ever seen.

Just two months later, however, plans that had been almost a decade in the making were shredded as the COVID-19 pandemic forced the IOC and Japanese government to take the unprecedented decision to postpone the Olympics for a year.

Since the postponement in late March, all 42 venues for the Games have been secured and the competition schedule announced, with the opening ceremony set to take place at the National Stadium on July 23.

What has yet to be decided is how much re-arranging the Games is going to cost the Japanese taxpayer.

The IOC have said their share of the costs will be some $800 million but organisers have repeatedly refused to put a number on the final bill for Japanese stakeholders.

A recent poll conducted by Kyodo News found that fewer than one in four favoured holding the Games as scheduled next year.

A third believed the Olympics should be postponed again, which Bach has warned is not an option, with another third wanting the Games cancelled outright.

Residents want Games to be cancelled

Organisers have said all efforts will be made to ensure the 11,000 athletes will be able to travel safely to Tokyo and compete in world class surroundings.

However, it is difficult to see how this can be accomplished without the development and global distribution of an effective COVID-19 vaccine.

The same is true of the desire to have thousands of spectators in the stadiums to cheer on those athletes.

Viewed in this backdrop, the Tokyo organisers have a herculean task as the one-year countdown beckons.

(With inputs from Agencies)