TOKYO (Japan): The chief executive of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics organising committee Toshiro Muto said he is unware of the spending allocations of $800million as prescribed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Thursday.
“We have no idea about how this money will be spent,” Muto told an online briefing. “As to the breakdown…I also understand that the IOC has stated it is too soon and too early to tell.”
On Thursday, IOC president Thomas Bach said it expected to bear costs of up to $800 million. Of this, $650 million will go for organization of the Games, set to start on July 23 next year, and $150 million to support international federations and National Olympic Committees.
Muto said he had not seen a breakdown of the IOC’s costs and declined to say how much the delay was likely to cost the Games organising committee and the Japanese government.
The Olympic Games has suffered political boycotts (Moscow 1980) and terrorism (Munich 1972), but has only ever been cancelled due to outbreaks of war.
The IOC had come under mounting pressure to postpone the world’s biggest sporting event, with teams, athletes and sports bodies all calling for a delay in March.
The postponed Olympics will retain the name “Tokyo 2020” despite being held next year, said Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike.
