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The International Olympic Committee (IOC), on Tuesday withdrew its statement that Japan would shoulder costs incurred for the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics, after Tokyo organisers objection.
The Organising Committee President, Yoshiro Mori, told Kyodo News that it was impossible that the IOC would not share the costs at all.
Earlier, the IOC in a questions and answers format on its website, said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, agreed that Japan would continue to cover the costs based on the terms of the existing agreement for 2020.
However, the statement was removed after the Japanese Government and the Tokyo organising committee denied it.
Earlier the Japanese Government spokesman, Yoshihide Suga, said that there was no agreement between the IOC and Japan on the postponement costs.
Meanwhile, the IOC and the Japanese Government, including the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, would continue to assess and discuss jointly the respective impacts caused by the postponement.
On March 24, the IOC and Japan agreed the postponement of the summer’s Tokyo Games to 2021 due to the global coronavirus pandemic.
Japanese officials and experts said the postponement could cost another 3 to 6 billion dollars or more.
“The IOC will continue to be responsible for its share of the costs. For the IOC, it is already clear that this amounts to several hundred millions of dollars of additional costs,” the international body said.
The rescheduled Tokyo Olympics are to begin with an opening ceremony on July 23, 2021 and close on Aug. 8, and the Paralympics are scheduled to commence from Aug. 24 to Sept. 5.
The IOC referred to a possible further postponement to 2022, saying, “Our Japanese partners and the Prime Minister made it very clear that Japan could not manage a postponement beyond next summer at the latest.”
The IOC said that the postponement was a mammoth undertaking both for Tokyo organisers and Japan as a whole.
“Postponement will involve restrictions and compromises on the part of everyone involved.
“There is no blueprint for postponement, but the IOC is very confident that all the complex parts will come together and give us a marvellous Games,” it said. (dpa/NAN)
– Apr. 21, 2020 @ 15:37 GMT |
Tags: IOC withdraws comment on Japan paying Olympic postponement costs
