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Olympic Rings in Tokyo: The costs are still unclear
Photo:
Hiro Komae / AP
The Olympic Games in Tokyo cost Japan billions of dollars - and due to the corona-related postponement to the coming year, they will be even more expensive.
Now the organizers are reacting with austerity measures.
According to initial planning, the costs are to be reduced by the equivalent of 241 million euros.
This was announced by the Tokyo Olympic planners after an executive meeting of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
For this purpose, among other things, the number of Olympic participants is to be reduced by ten to 15 percent.
The number of athletes should not be affected.
Transport measures are to be reduced, expenses for office space and the cost of advertising and ceremonies cut.
A total of around 50 savings measures are planned for the time being.
The host contract with Japan, Tokyo and the IOC had been adjusted accordingly due to the postponement as a result of the corona crisis, it said.
"We believe the efforts will create a model for future games," said Japan Organizing Committee chief Toshiro Muto.
Because of the corona pandemic, Japan and the IOC had postponed the games planned for July and August last year.
They are now to take place from July 23 to August 8, 2021.
The final cost is still unclear
Those responsible still do not give any estimates of the additional cost of moving the games in the end.
Unofficial estimates in Japan recently assumed billions of dollars.
Japan's Olympic organizers did not want to make any estimates about the costs of the planned measures to protect all Olympic participants against the corona virus.
The discussions about the protective measures continued.
According to Muto, estimates of the cost of the games in Japan's capital will not be available until the end of the year.
Only then will it become clear what the austerity measures that have now been announced will bring about.
The savings planned so far seem small in view of the official budget.
The austerity measures make up around two percent of the total of $ 12.6 billion for the games.
However, critics assume that the costs are much higher.
A study commissioned by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike had forecast total costs of $ 27 billion.
According to a study by the University of Oxford, the Tokyo Games are already the most expensive in the history of the Summer Games.
When Tokyo won the bid to host the Games, Japan's Olympic makers had put the expected costs at $ 7.3 billion.
Japan's taxpayers bear most of the cost.
According to the contract, the IOC should contribute $ 1.3 billion.
Most recently, however, documents have been published showing that the IOC contribution has been much lower in the past and the remainder has been offset through material resources.
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