The fate of next year’s Olympic Games depends on Japan’s handling of the coronavirus, according to the Tokyo governor.
Gov. Yuriko Koike said the Games could signify a “victory” over the pandemic, but admitted that more work is still needed to improve treatment and testing, and that organizers were contending with a number of uncertainties.
The Olympics were originally scheduled to begin in July, but the start date has been moved to July 24 next year amid the Covid-19 outbreak.
“The Tokyo 2020 Olympics are an important event that everyone has been waiting for,” Koike told CNN’s Will Ripley.
“The postponement cost a lot and, more than anything, we do not know what the coronavirus situation will be like in July next year. We have a few uncertainties here … It costs a lot to begin with, we need understanding from the people of Tokyo for it. We must not spend too much. We have to make the Games safe for athletes and spectators.”
Organizers said in December that the cost of hosting the Olympics was some 1.35 trillion yen ($12.35 billion), while sponsors, insurers and broadcasters have also committed billions to the Games.
