TOKYO (AP) – Tick-Tock-Tick.
The countdown clock for the postponed Tokyo Olympics reached 200 days on Monday.
Tick-tock-tick.
Also Monday, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said he would consider calling for a state of emergency as new coronavirus cases increase to record numbers in Tokyo and neighboring prefectures. Japan has never had a blockade on COVID-19, trying to juggle the economy and health risks.
Tick-tock-tick.
The deadline is approaching for the Tokyo Olympic organizers, the International Olympic Committee and various Japanese government entities as they try to get the games out in the middle of a pandemic.
Officials have promised to announce concrete plans at the beginning of the new year on how to bring 15,000 Olympic and Paralympic athletes to Japan; about the safety of the Athletes’ Village and hundreds of thousands of fans, media, judges, officials, broadcasters and VIPs.
The new year is here.
Suga has again pledged to host the Olympics, saying it would be “proof that people have overcome the coronavirus.” He also said that the approval of the vaccine will be accelerated by a month, so that vaccinations can start in February instead of March.
Japan has attributed more than 3,400 COVID-19 deaths, modest by global standards to a country of 125 million, but worrying as new cases grow rapidly. A poll conducted last month by national broadcaster NHK shows that 63% want the Olympics to be postponed or canceled.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures on Saturday called on the national government to declare a state of emergency after the capital registered 1,337 new cases daily on New Year’s Eve. This marked a jump of almost 400 in just a few days.
Yoshiro Mori, the chairman of the organizing committee and former prime minister, again ruled out any cancellation of the games in an interview a few days ago with the Nikkan Sports newspaper. He was asked when a decision would be made about having local fans or fans from abroad.
“Sometime from March to May,” he replied. “The final deadline for a decision would be May, but it may come earlier.”
Any reduction of the fans will reach the budget of the organizing committee. Tokyo has budgeted $ 800 million for ticket sales, and any shortcomings will have to be compensated by government entities, which bear most of the Olympic bills.
The official budget for the Tokyo Olympics was increased last month to $ 15.4 billion, an increase of $ 2.8 billion due to the delay. However, several government audits in recent years suggest that the actual number is about $ 25 billion.
All but $ 6.7 billion are public money.
Mori said the opening ceremony, scheduled for July 23, could be difficult, with thousands of athletes and officials gathering to parade around the stadium. He also suggested that the ceremony could not be shortened because the television broadcasters had paid for the profitable time. He said some officials could be removed from the parade.
Television accounts for a large part of Olympic programming, and the sale of broadcasting rights accounts for 73% of IOC revenue. Another 18% comes from big sponsors such as Coca-Cola and Toyota.
The torch relay, which starts on March 25, will also face the crowd of 10,000 runners expected over almost four months. Coca-Cola and Toyota are the main sponsors.
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