Tokyo 2020 trims estimate budget for pandemic Games
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Reading Time: 2min | Wed. 22.12.21. | 13:40
It was still around twice the 734 billion yen the Japanese committee said the Games would cost when it presented its bid to the International Olympic Committee in 2013.
Tokyo Olympics organisers revised the estimated cost of the Covid-postponed Games downwards on Wednesday, 22 December but the figure was still around double the budget proposed in the city's original 2013 bid.
Despite losing out on ticket sales due to a near-total ban on spectators, organisers said they had saved cash by simplifying events and avoiding the cost of hosting millions of fans.
Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori has warned that should the Olympics fail to take place next summer, they will be “scrapped” altogether.
— Usher Komugisha (@UsherKomugisha) April 28, 2020
The budget for the Games was set at $12.6 billion and the postponement could cost an extra $2.8 billion. pic.twitter.com/MJtq14FZlL
The event went ahead this summer under strict coronavirus countermeasures after a historic pandemic delay of one year.
Tokyo 2020's final pre-Games budget, released in December last year, stood at 1.64 trillion yen ($14.3 billion at today's rates) as costs ballooned because of the postponement.
But on Wednesday, the organisers trimmed this figure to 1.45 trillion yen ($12.7 billion), saying no extra bills would be sent to either the national or Tokyo city governments.
Silver linings and all that. May have been no spectators and no atmosphere at Tokyo 2020 but it least it saved them money. Now, if they could only find another $7 billion savings then they will be back to the budget they first estimated when they won their bid in 2013...#Olympics https://t.co/dhv9LyQ4hq
— Duncan Mackay (@Duncan_ITG) December 6, 2021
It was still around twice the 734 billion yen the Japanese committee said the Games would cost when it presented its bid to the International Olympic Committee in 2013.
Tokyo experienced its worst-yet Covid-19 surge in the summer as the Olympics approached, fuelling fears the event could worsen outbreaks in Japan and possibly the world.
Asked about a musician from Senegal who said his performance at the Olympics ceremony was canceled because he was African, Masa Takaya, Tokyo 2020 spokesman, said some portions of the performance were cut for “budget reasons"
— Motoko Rich (@motokorich) July 24, 2021
But in the end, the Olympics and Paralympics delighted many home fans with Japanese athletes claiming 58 medals including 27 golds -- the most successful Games for any Japanese delegation.
Spectators were banned from almost all events, however, and organisers said Wednesday they had missed out on roughly 90 billion yen in ticket sales.
© Agence France-Presse
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