'Don’t have a B plan,' says Olympic organising committee in case Tokyo Games postponed further

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Tokyo Olympic Games 2020 has been postponed to next year July 23, 2021, followed by the Paralympics on August 24.

However, if the games are delayed further, the organising committee said they have no backup plan for the Summer Games.

As the Coronavirus outbreak grows in Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe issued an emergency declaration to battle the virus. He has put the country under restriction weeks after it seemed to have contained the spread.

The organising committee CEO Toshiro Muto expressed doubts over the Olympics going ahead as planned next year despite a 16-month delay.

Masa Takaya, a spokesman, said organisers revealed they have no Plan B ready. “We are working toward the new goal", Takaya said. 

"We don’t have a B Plan. The severity of the pandemic and the death toll has raised questions if it will even be feasible to hold the Olympics in just over 15 months. Several Japanese journalists raised the question on the call.

“All I can tell you today is that the new games’ dates for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games have been just set up", Takaya said. 

"In that respect, Tokyo 2020 and all concerned parties now are doing their very best effort to deliver the games next year.”

As for Japan PM Abe, he has been criticised for acting slow to contain the COVID-19 in the country. He has been blamed by opposing leaders for undermining the severity of the situation.

The PM was even keen on holding the Olympic Games this year as planned. 

Now with the games delayed, the cost of postponement is expected to be around $2 billion-$6 billion, however, Takaya insisted it was too early to determine the exact cost. 

Tokyo says it’s spending $12.6 billion to organize the Olympics, but a Japanese government audit published last year said the costs are twice that much. 

Of the total spending, $5.6 billion in private money. The rest is from Japanese governments.