Tokyo 2020: Olympic organisers looking at ways to cut costs due to delay

Organisers say no cost estimate will be available before December, at which point it should also be clear how many people may attend the events

The 2020 Summer Olympics, which have been pushed to 2021 due to the coronavirus, likely to have a reduced numbers of officials

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Muto Toshiro, the CEO of the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, said no cost estimate would be available before December. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 10:57am, 16 Sep 2020Updated: 10:57am, 16 Sep 2020

Tokyo 2020 Olympics organisers said they were looking at ways of saving money in staging the delayed Games by cutting spending on officials and facilities.

The 2020 Games were postponed in a historic decision earlier this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, with a scaled-down version set to be held from July 23, 2021.

The delay has thrown up a plethora of new costs, from rebooking venues and transport to retaining a huge organising committee staff for an extra year.

As part of cost-cutting efforts organisers will scrutinise the number of officials scheduled to be present at Tokyo 2020, CEO Toshiro Muto told a news conference on Tuesday.

Executives from the Tokyo Olympics organising committee speak at a press conference in Japan. Photo: Xinhua

Muto did not specify which officials, but the term can cover a broad range, from overseas delegates to engineers to management staff.

Welcoming ceremonies for athletes were also being reviewed, he added, and officials would also look at costs at venues, athletes’ villages, training facilities and the international press centre.