Tokyo Games remain dubious as Olympics official worried about Japan's COVID-19 situation

A senior member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) expressed uncertainty about whether the Tokyo Games 2020 will go ahead as the host city has declared a state of emergency due to coronavirus. While speaking to BBC, Dick Pound said that he can’t be certain due to the growing number of COVID-19 cases. However, Organisers and the IOC President, Thomas Bach, have insisted that the Olympics, which were postponed by a year, will go ahead and have also agreed that it will not be possible to delay them a second time. 

The rescheduled games are set to take place between July 23 and August 8. Pound hinted that if the Tokyo Games are to be held then athletes should be a high priority for a vaccine because they serve as "role models". He suggested that organisers could make it a condition for the competitors to declare they have received the jab before entering Japan. 

Meanwhile, Tokyo is at the centre of the third wave of infections that have struck Japan in recent weeks. On Thursday, PM Yoshihide Suga declared a state of emergency as Tokyo registered a daily record of 2,447 cases. The latest measures primarily target restaurants and bars, which will be asked to stop serving alcohol by 7 pm (local time) and close an hour later. It is worth noting that Japan’s emergency order, which is largely voluntary, will be in force until the first week of February.

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Olympics budget soaring due to delay 

According to reports, the vaccine rollout in Japan is likely to also be slowed by the need for local clinical trials. Some vaccines might not be readily available until May, however, PM Suga has said some would be ready next month. Japanese authorities will have very little time to immunise a significant number of people by the time the Tokyo Games open in just over six months’ time. 

The budget for the upcoming Olympics, on the other hand, is soaring. According to Global News, the new official budget is $15.4 billion, which is $2.8 billion above the previous one. The new costs are believed to be from the delay. Several audits by the Japanese government have said the costs are closer to at least $25 billion. 

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