On the basis of ensuring that the absolute core of athletes and sports events is not affected, other aspects may change accordingly, thus reducing costs and improving efficiency.
Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, April 18 (reporter Ji Ye Gao Peng) The International Olympic Committee recently released an article on its official website titled “What are the results of delaying the Olympic Games?” The article explains that the one-year delay of Tokyo Olympic Games will be given to athletes, sports calendar, Olympic schedule, Olympic village, sponsors and suppliers, redisseminators and media, staff and volunteers, the influence brought by audiences and other parties. Christopher Dolby, executive director of the Olympic Games department of the International Olympic Committee, pointed out that on the basis of ensuring that the absolute core of athletes and sports events is not affected, other aspects may change accordingly, thus reducing costs and improving efficiency.
Affected by the new coronavirus epidemic, the Olympic Games originally planned to open on July 24 this year was postponed to July 23, 2021. The International Olympic Committee said that the delay of the Olympic Games first affected about 11000 athletes from 206 countries (regions) Olympic committees who were preparing for this event. They have been training for many years to participate in the Olympic Games and look forward to the peak of competition this summer. At present, 53 percent of the Tokyo Olympic quota has been issued, and 43 percent has not yet been issued. All athletes need to re-adjust the preparation plan, and in view of the epidemic prevention measures taken by various countries, the current training of athletes, especially the training of collective events, faces great challenges.
The second is the sports calendar. The International Olympic Committee said that the current sports events are very intensive, and both the international individual Sports Federation and the professional sports federation are facing the dilemma of adjusting their respective events calendar. Some World Championships have been adjusted to 2022, but these institutions need to deal with a series of challenges such as logistics and finance. At the same time, athletes also face more uncertainty because of the adjustment of world championships and other events.
The third is the Olympic schedule. There are 33 major events in Tokyo Olympic Games, and these events will be held in 42 competition venues. Ensuring that these venues are still available next year is the top priority of the IOC and its partners. They will do their best to ensure that they can compete in the same venue according to the original schedule when possible.
The fourth is the Olympic village. The International Olympic Committee said that retaining the Olympic village was another major task for the organizers. Tokyo Olympic Village will provide 18000 beds, medical equipment, a two-storey restaurant with an area of 18500 square meters, entertainment facilities and a gym. The Olympic village, which has 5,000 apartments, will also meet the housing needs of local residents after the game.
The fifth is sponsors and suppliers. The IOC has 14 global partners and the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee has 67 partners at different levels. These sponsors and suppliers had been preparing for the operation and supply chain according to the premise of the Olympic Games this summer, but they all need to be changed at present.
The sixth is retransmission and media. Almost half of the world’s population can see the Olympic Games, thanks to the Olympic relay service company (OBS) and the rights-holding broadcaster. At present, there are 26 authorized rebroadcasters and Olympic channels in the Tokyo Olympic Games, and there will be more than 300 re-authorized broadcasters during the event. These broadcasters have planned the broadcast schedule according to the schedule of global sports events and entertainment activities several years in advance. Today, they need to work with advertisers to redesign their plans. Generally speaking, they will increase manpower during the Olympic Games, including cameraman, sound technician and signal coordinator, and now they have to re-sign the contract for recruitment. In addition, there are more than 25000 registered journalists in the Tokyo Olympic Games. Tokyo will transform TokyoBigSite, the largest convention and exhibition center in Japan, into an international broadcasting center and a main news center to receive broadcasters and media.
The seventh is the staff and volunteers. Staff and volunteers are an indispensable part of the Olympic Games. The Tokyo Olympic Games plans to use 150000 staff, volunteers and contractors, most of whom have completed recruitment or started work. Although Tokyo Olympic organizing committee is trying to keep volunteers, some people can only cancel the volunteer service program due to the schedule conflict next year.
The eighth is the audience. At present, 4.48 million Olympic tickets have been sold in Japan, and ticket sales outside Japan have also begun. Although Tokyo Olympic organizing committee announced that tickets would still be valid next year, some viewers had to refund tickets due to schedule conflicts. Therefore, the refund and resale work also faces challenges.
The International Olympic Committee said that although it was difficult to postpone the Tokyo Olympics for one year, it was a wise decision and all parties had reached a complete consensus on it.
When asked whether the Tokyo Olympic Games will be adjusted to reduce costs, Christopher Dolby, the executive director of the Olympic department of the International Olympic Committee, said that sports competitions and athletes are the core of everything, we need to make every effort to ensure that this core is not affected. Other Olympic-related fields, including the International Olympic Committee, need to change accordingly. “We have to study whether we have to do exactly the same thing as before one year from now, or whether we have to make adjustments.”
Dolby said: “In a conversation with stakeholders, one thing we convey to everyone is ‘let’s make sure we do the right thing through innovation, we still have time to help Tokyo further. Although we have received incredible commitments from senior government officials, we still need to study where we can improve efficiency ‘.”