In the last three working days of last week, the number of new cases of Covid-19 in Tokyo exceeded 2,000 every day, but in the next three days it decreased and 970 new cases were detected on Monday. The rapid spread of the Covid-19 pandemic has again raised concerns about the conduct of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“If I started thinking about moving games or I had the slightest doubt, it would affect the whole process. We have to go ahead as we planned,” Mori said on Tuesday.
According to a survey conducted by the Kyodo News weekend, a large proportion of the Japanese population wants to postpone or cancel the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic Games. The Kyodo News telephone survey was attended by 1,041 randomly selected respondents, of whom 35.3% were for cancellation of games and 44.8% for postponement of games.
Muto, director general of the organizing committee, said that the number of skeptics had increased by only about 5%.
“Relocating games is supported by quite a few people, but that doesn’t mean they don’t want games to take place. Of course, we need to guarantee that games are safe and that virus control measures are in place,” Muto said.
Muto also rejected information published in the Japanese media that the organizing committee, together with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), intends to decide on the future fate of the games in February.
A survey commissioned by the Japanese broadcaster NHK in December found that 32% of respondents wanted the games canceled, 31% wanted to postpone them and 27% for the Olympics this summer.
Before Christmas, the organizers of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics announced that their cost had reached 1.64 trillion yen (about 13 billion euros).
The postponement of the Olympic Games from 2020 has cost an additional 294 billion yen (2.3 billion euros), of which 96 billion yen has been earmarked for limiting the spread of the coronavirus.
Prior to the postponement of the Olympic Games, their cost was estimated at 1.35 trillion yen. From now on, the cost of 721 billion yen will be covered by the organizing committee, with 702 billion yen to help the city of Tokyo, and 221 billion yen – the Japanese government.
In 2013, when Tokyo ran for the Games, the cost was estimated at 734 billion yen, but has now doubled. Opponents of the game say the extreme cost will exceed as much as three trillion yen.
By simplifying and optimizing costs, $ 280 million has been saved.
The Tokyo Olympics have been postponed for a year and are scheduled for July 23 to August 8. The Paralympic Games are planned for this summer from August 24 to September 5.
Since 1948, the Summer Olympics have been held every four years. Although the Olympics experienced boycotts, terrorist attacks and protests, they were never postponed, but this time the rapid spread of the coronavirus in the world prevented athletes from gathering in Tokyo last summer.
In the history of the world, only three Olympic Games have been canceled so far, and in all cases it was due to war.
