The postponement of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic and implementation of necessary hygiene measures will cost organizers billions of dollars in additional expenses.
Toshiro Muto, general director of the Tokyo Organising Committee, estimated the additional costs at around 294 billion yen (2.8 billion dollars). Some 198 billion yen are solely due to the postponement.
The organizers, the city of Tokyo and the Japanese government share the costs.
Among other things, the additional costs are a result of the fact that arenas and the Olympic village must also be rented for the coming year. Costs related to office space, advertising and ceremonial pomp are set to be cut.
Budget exceeded
The Tokyo Olympics were expected have a 1.35-trillion-yen price tag before the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Japan decided in March to delay the Games by one year due to the pandemic.
The Olympic organizers have already significantly exceeded the originally planned budget.
According to a study from Britain's Oxford University, the Tokyo Games are already the most expensive in the history of the Olympics, with most of the cost being covered by Japan's taxpayers.
The delayed Games are now scheduled to be held between 23 July 23 and 8 August, followed by the Paralympics from August 24 to September 5.
