Tokyo: 2020 Olympic Games organisers have started drafting possible alternatives to host the Tokyo Games this summer, two sources familiar with talks said, in contrast to the Japanese government's stance that postponement is not an option.
While the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a beating on sports events across the world, the Japanese government has been steadfast in saying that the Games will go on. The top government spokesman on Wednesday said Tokyo wasn't preparing for postponement.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has staked his legacy as Japan's longest-serving premier on the Games and is hoping for a boom in tourism and consumer spending. If the Games don't take place $12 billion will be wasted.
"Finally, we have been asked to make a simulation in case of a postponement," said one of the sources on condition of anonymity. Officials who are close to the organising committee are not authorised to speak to the media.
"We are making alternative plans - plan B, C, D - looking at different postponement time-frames," said the official, adding the scenarios included cost estimates for different delays.
Neither Tokyo 2020 organisers nor the International Olympic Committee (IOC) immediately responded to a request for comment. The government of Japan could not be reached for comment.
The options, which include scaling back the Games or holding them without spectators, would be debated by the organising committee at the end of March, the official said.
Another source, who is also close to the Tokyo 2020 organising committee, confirmed that postponement was being discussed, including delays of one or two years.
Some organising staff were holding out hope for a delay of a month or 45 days, said the official involved in drafting the scenarios.
A final decision on postponement will have to come from the IOC but Japan's stance also matters.
