Published 18:37 IST, August 21st 2020
Could Tokyo Olympics 2021 be in doubt? Survey shows disgruntlement in Japanese companies
Tokyo Olympics 2021 could be in trouble after a survey conducted by Tokyo Shoko Research showed half of the Japanese companies want it cancelled/postponed again
- SportFit
- 3 min read
Sporting activities worldwide came to a standstill in March due to COVID-19 pandemic with players been forced to put themselves under self-isolation. One major sporting event that received a major setback was the Tokyo Olympics which was earlier scheduled to take place from July 24 to August 9 this year.
While the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to postpone the Olympics until next year, a recent survey suggests that half of the Japanese companies want the Tokyo Olympics 2021 to be cancelled or postponed again. Back in March, a report emerged claiming that Japan is officially spending close to $12.6 billion to organise the Olympic Games, but a national audit put the figure at more than twice that figure.
Tokyo Olympics 2021: A number of Japanese companies want Olympics postponed
Japanese news agency kyodo on Thursday reported that in the online survey done by Tokyo Shoko Research, which covered 12,857 companies, 27.8% want the Tokyo Olympics 2021 to be cancelled while 25.8% said the Olympic Games should be postponed again. The report further states that Xinhua has claimed that a combined 53.6% of the responding firms are against holding the Olympic Games from July 23 to August 8, 2021.
The report further states that the survey, which was conducted between July 28 and August 11, shows that 46.2% want the Olympic Games to go ahead in some way while 22.5 % are in favour of holding the Tokyo Olympics 2021 as planned. Another 18.4% want Tokyo Olympics 2021 to be held but with fewer spectators, while 5.3% want the Olympic Games to be held without any spectators.
PV Sindhu and Sushil Kumar eye glory at Tokyo Olympics 2021
Back in 2016, when the Olympics were held in Rio, Brazil, Indian badminton star PV Sindhu made the country proud by winning a silver medal in the singles event. Sindhu was all set to fight for a gold medal at this year's Tokyo Olympics 2021. However, with COVID-19 forcing the Olympic Games to be postponed, PV Sindhu welcomed the move, saying that nothing is more important than human life.
On the other hand, Sushil Kumar could be playing in his final Olympic Games and the wrestler will look to sign off in style. The 37-year-old was struggling to make the cut for Tokyo Olympics 2021, however, the postponement of the event due to COVID-19 has only given him another chance to have a shot at winning a medal.
Image credits: Olympics/Instagram
Updated 18:37 IST, August 21st 2020
