Tokyo 2020: IOC said to be aiming for July-August 2021. Task force formed.
by InsidetheGames.biz/Sail-World.com/nz 27 Mar 2020 21:26 NZDT
27 March 2020
Olympic rings - 2012 Olympic Sailing Regatta, Weymouth © Richard Gladwell
The authorative Insidethegames.biz reports that the IOC is already moving to create a window in the 2021 sporting calendar to enable a re-scheduled 2020 Olympic Games to be staged in Tokyo.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission chair John Coates has claimed the organisation is working with international federations to potentially find a window in July and August next year to reschedule the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, says the report.
The dates for the re-arranged Olympics and Paralympics is expected to be the key topic discussed by the IOC and Tokyo 2020 following the postponement of the Games on Tuesday (March 24).
Coates, speaking to Japanese newspaper Yomiuri, reportedly claimed the Games would need to be scheduled between the Wimbledon and US Open tennis Grand Slam events.
"We want to more or less finalise the dates in four weeks' time," the Australian, a former IOC vice president and a key ally of IOC President Thomas Bach, said.
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Task Force formed - but warns that the cost will be massive.
In a second and related story InsidetheGames.biz says the logistics of rescheduling the 2020 Olympic Games has been placed in the hands of Task Force headed by a former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Japan.
Part of the difficulty of rescheduling the Olympics is that facilities like the Olympic Village have been sold off, with occupancy to take place after the original conclusion date of the 2020 Olympic Games.
"Tokyo 2020 chief executive Toshiro Muto has warned the cost of rescheduling the Olympic and Paralympic Games will be "massive" as he laid out the "daunting" mission for a new taskforce established to plan the event during its first meeting today," says InsidetheGames.biz
The group has been set-up to navigate the complicated process of rearranging the Games, postponed because of growing international concern over the coronavirus pandemic.
Finding new dates for the Opening Ceremonies for the Olympics and Paralympics will be the first key task for the panel.
"Without that, there are a lot of things we simply cannot do," Muto said.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach yesterday opened the door for the Games to be held in the spring of 2021 after claiming the event was "not restricted to the summer months".
Muto said securing the venues and the Athletes' Village, which Bach could not guarantee would be available for the rescheduled Games, ticketing, security and accommodation were among the main issues for the taskforce.
The former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Japan added there are "thousands of contracts" which will need to be looked at and cited the interests of the IOC, sports federations and broadcasters as other challenges.
"We need to secure the facilities," Muto said.
"Not only the venues but the Athletes' Village, training sites, storages and what not.
"We need to assess whether they will be available when we need them next year.
"There will be additional costs that come with this – and we expect it will probably be massive.
"We are dealing with the postponement of the Games, which has never happened in history.
"The task is daunting."
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In an America's Cup relevant story InsidetheGames.biz reports that the Tour de France could take place in June-July without any roadside fans permitted, if the control measures, now in place in France and Europe, remain in place.
Like the America's Cup due to be held in New Zealand in January 2021, the Tour de France is not based around ticket sales revenue - which opens the alternate options for TV coverage if coronavirus containment measures are still in place.
French Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu has suggested the Tour de France could still take place in June with the Grand Tour potentially held without spectators, says InsidetheGames.biz.
The Tour de France is one of the remaining major sporting events on the calendar over the coming months, with various competitions postponed or cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite France going into a national lockdown to stem the spread of coronavirus, Maracineanu has suggested it is too early to decide on whether the Tour de France can take place as planned.
The marquee race is scheduled for June 27 to July 19, with the event brought forward a week with the intention to accommodate the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
"The economic model of the Tour de France is not based on ticketing but on TV rights," Maracineanu told French radio network France Bleu.
"Everyone understands the benefits of staying at home and therefore favouring the television show rather than the live show."
"We have [imposed spectator bans] for other competitions before", she said.
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