If the new Crown epidemic cannot be controlled next year, the Olympic Games will be canceled directly and will not be postponed again.
Xinhua News Agency, Tokyo, April 28 (Reporter Prince Jiang Yiye) Mori Yoshiro, chairman of Tokyo Olympic organizing committee, said in an exclusive interview with Japanese media recently that the opening and closing ceremonies of Tokyo Olympic Games and Paralympic Games would probably be held together, at the same time, if the new Crown epidemic cannot be controlled next year, the Olympic Games will be canceled directly and will not be postponed again.
The journal Sports published a long interview with Yoshiro Mori on the website. When asked if the Olympic Games would be postponed again because the epidemic was not over, Yoshiro Mori replied clearly: “No, it will be canceled directly by then.”
He continued: “The Olympic Games have been canceled in the past because of war, but this time we are facing invisible enemies. The Olympic Games should have been held in a peaceful environment. If such conditions cannot be met, they should not continue to be held. This is the game of all mankind. If the world has overcome the epidemic through many difficulties and successfully held the Olympic Games next summer, then this Olympic Games will be the greatest Olympic Games in history. If we don’t think so, all our efforts will be in vain.”
The 82-year-old former Japanese prime minister also said that the idea of merging the four opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic and Paralympic Games into two meetings was originally proposed before the outbreak of the new Crown epidemic, at that time, it was mainly the consideration of saving funds. After the Olympic and Paralympic games are postponed, if the four major activities are reduced to two, it can not only save expenses, but also be “a positive signal after defeating the crisis”.
He said that the creative team of the opening and closing ceremony of the Olympic Games, led by Mansai Nomura, is considering the merger plan, and the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games will be the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games at the same time, and the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games will be the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games at the same time. But the merger is not a simple matter, “This requires the consent of the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee. What about those who have already bought tickets? And the biggest obstacle is whether the broadcaster will agree?”
However, Yoshiro Mori said that everyone must consider this matter in the context of the delay of the Olympic and Paralympic Games by the epidemic, because the extension itself is the first event in the history of the Olympic Games, it is a “major historical event”. Since this is the first time, what follows is that many changes should be tolerated, and many details can not be investigated excessively.
He also said that since human beings have gone through a big anti-epidemic struggle, whether the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games still need such a grand scene, such as whether athletes march-in ceremony need to be retained is also a problem.
Yoshiro Mori also talked about the issue of the Olympic torch relay. He said that the people who participated in the torch relay had already confirmed that there would be no big changes in this aspect.
As for the issue of additional funds that everyone is concerned about, he said: “It is not sure how much extra spending will be added now. At first, some people predicted 400 billion yen, while others said 500 billion, now the organizing committee and the International Olympic Committee are also led by these rumors. In fact, all parties need to sit down and carefully calculate how much they need to increase.”
He said that the Japanese government has always said that the cost of hosting the Olympic Games is mainly borne by the Tokyo municipal government. In fact, Tokyo has strong economic strength and sufficient budget, and compensation for the suspension of business during the recent epidemic, tokyo is ahead of the country. Of course, the decision to postpone the Olympic Games for one year was first proposed by Prime Minister Abe, and the central government should also give part. For other extension fees, if there is an agreement, the agreement will be followed. If there is no agreement, the parties need to further negotiate and solve it.
“We advocate to make a good calculation with the International Olympic Committee so that both parties can decide under the condition that they can accept it.”