“The financial super-GAU” (daily newspaper Junge Welt)

Thomas Bach is currently fighting on many fronts. The Summer Olympics in Tokyo are to take place despite the globally sensitive corona situation – the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is mobilizing all forces for this. And organized sport stands behind him as seldom united. Because it is clear to everyone involved: A cancellation of the Summer Games would not only be fatal for the athletes, the Olympic Movement would face deep economic cuts worldwide.

It’s about billions. “That would be the financial meltdown,” said the sports marketing expert Dennis Trautwein, managing director of the Octagon consulting agency in Germany sid. Although the IOC has insured itself against failure since the 2004 Games in Athens “to reduce the risk” (IOC Annual Report), it is unclear how high this amount is. Around three quarters of the IOC’s income comes from TV rights revenues, and most of it pays NBC. If there are no games, the US broadcaster will not receive anything in return. “Media income is the greatest risk,” said Trautwein, “that would create a significant funding gap.” The IOC’s 15 top sponsors have stayed on board. But here too the question arises: How long does the money flow?

The bare numbers show the extent of the threatened failures: In the Olympic cycle from 2013 to 2016 with the Games in Sochi (winter) and Rio (summer), the IOC earned 5.7 billion US dollars. The IOC passed on around 90 percent: to the 32 world associations, the National Olympic Committees (NOK) and development projects. Every day, around 3.4 million US dollars flow from the IOC to world sport. “If this were not to happen, it would be felt worldwide,” said Alfons Hörmann, President of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB). The DOSB and the 205 NOK worldwide would have a lot to nibble on. The German umbrella organization earns 30 million euros per Olympiad, it receives the money from the international Olympic marketing of the IOC, through national marketing revenues and from the funding institution “Olympic Solidarity”.

The worries of the world associations would be even greater. Thomas Weikert, the German President of the International Table Tennis Federation ITTF, said that sid: “We will receive US $ 18 million from the IOC in one Olympic cycle. That makes up 20 percent of our budget. We wouldn’t go under, but we would have to make significant savings on our global activities. «The ITTF is doing comparatively well. “I know from world associations that the IOC grants make up to 90 percent of the budget,” said Weikert. (sid / jW)