By Leighton Klevana

Tokyo and the entire country of Japan were fully prepared for the Olympics and a monumental summer of 2020 just a few months ago. Everything changed when the COVID-19 outbreak arose early this year. Within two months of the outbreak in central China, nearly 750,000 people have been infected with the virus. By late February, the death toll had reached 30,000, and most of Asia was near a full lockdown, with no end in sight. Soon, people all over the world were wondering if the Olympic Games would be affected. 

More than 600,000 spectators were expected to come to Japan for the Olympics. Hotels had already reported a massive increase in summer bookings, and those numbers were only expected to rise. Japan was hoping to recreate the success of the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, which drew the largest crowds ever seen up to that date and were the first to be televised on a global scale. The legacy left by those Games is still felt in Japan today.

The preparation for the 2020 games cost the Japanese government nearly $30 billion, with the new National Stadium in Tokyo costing $1.4 billion alone. The Olympics were already over budget before the postponement. When Japan won this year’s Olympic bid in mid-2013, they predicted a total cost of $7 billion to host the games. 

On March 24, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced the Tokyo Olympics had been postponed. On March 28, the IOC said the games were likely to take place in July 2021, exactly one year later than originally planned. This was the first time in 124 years that the games were forced to be postponed. During both World War One and Two, the games were cancelled, but this has been the only date alteration in Olympic history. Even during the Great Depression and countless other events, the games have happened as scheduled. The IOC has always been very cautious in making any changes to the Olympics, whether it be adding a new sport or modifying dates.

The postponement will cost Japan billions of dollars, but others will pay too. The estimated cost of keeping facilities and materials ready for another year will cost an estimated $3 billion. NBC Universal, the channel broadcasting the Olympics, will lose around $1 billion in advertising revenue. Japanese tourism is also expected to see major losses on top of what COVID-19 has already caused this spring.

Another loss for Japan is the jobs that the Olympics often brings. In the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea, there were 60,000 workers employed for the Games. Around 17,000 were volunteers, but the rest were paid workers. 

Athletes also face an uncertain year due to the postponement. The IOC announced all athletes who had qualified in any of the 33 sports for this summer Olympics will keep their spots in 2021. Even though this is a relief to the athletes, now they face another year of preparation, which is costly both physically and financially. 

Female gymnasts are facing an especially hard road to the Olympics next summer. The sport requires girls to train extremely hard in a short window of time, which has now been pushed further another year. Additionally, female gymnasts have an extremely short career, with most young women only being able to compete in one Olympics before reaching maturity. No female gymnasts over the age of 19 have won gold in nearly 50 years. 

For now, Japan and the IOC are hoping the postponement will be enough to save the Olympic Games. Both are already under international scrutiny for taking minimal and slow action regarding the virus. Canada and Australia had already pulled their athletes from competing in the Olympics before the IOC’s decision. This action came after weeks of international efforts to push back or cancel the games. 

Looking past 2021, the IOC has an even more chaotic future. In 2022, Beijing is set to host the Winter Olympics. The region holding Nordic events is one of the most arid regions in China. The majority of snow will have to be man-made, which has caused outrage from winter enthusiasts. Additionally, China is dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak as well. A US Senate resolution calling for a withdrawal of the Olympics drew bipartisan support. The Senate targeted China’s actions against human rights in both mainland China and Hong Kong. The resolution was passed on March 4.

No matter what the future holds for the Olympics, the IOC has been clear that no Olympic games will be canceled. IOC President Thomas Bach said “(canceling the games) would destroy the dreams of all 11,000 athletes”. 

Featured image courtesy of the IOC.