Tokyo Olympics, First Event in Fukushima After 'Nuclear Accident'... "No Reduction in Events or Number of Competitions"

No Reduction in Events or Matches Despite COVID-19 Spread Concerns
IOC: "Reducing Spectators Is One Scenario Under Consideration"
Japan's Financial Pressure Likely to Increase if Ticket Revenue Declines

[Asia Economy Reporter Minji Lee] The first event of the Tokyo Olympics, scheduled for next year, will be held in Fukushima. Despite concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the plan is to proceed without reducing the number of sports or events.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to major Japanese media such as Yomiuri Shimbun on the 18th, the organizing committee reportedly reported these detailed plans regarding the Tokyo Olympics schedule and venues to the IOC General Assembly the day before. According to reports, the opening ceremony will be held on July 23 next year, and the closing ceremony on August 8 at the Japan National Stadium located in Shinjuku, Tokyo.

The first match, the softball game between Japan and Australia, is planned to take place in Fukushima Prefecture on July 21, two days before the opening ceremony. Previously, environmental groups such as Greenpeace revealed that some facilities in Fukushima, the site of the nuclear accident, measured high radiation levels, raising concerns about radiation leakage.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to some media reports, the Tokyo Olympics will be held across 42 venues in 9 prefectures including Tokyo, with 33 events and 339 sports. The schedule and venue arrangements proposed by the organizing committee basically follow the pre-postponement plan, maintaining the number of sports and events as originally planned. Tickets already sold will be refunded to those who wish to do so after this fall.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is reportedly considering reducing the number of spectators to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Reducing the number of spectators could significantly decrease ticket revenue. IOC President Thomas Bach said at a press conference after the General Assembly, "Reducing the scale of the opening or closing ceremonies is a decision for the Tokyo organizing committee," but also mentioned that reducing spectators is one of the scenarios under consideration.

With the Olympics postponed by one year, increasing financial pressure on Japan, a further reduction in ticket revenue is expected to increase the financial burden even more.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.