Tokyo Olympics Postponed, Losses Predicted To Reach Rp. 26.73 T

JAKARTA - The losses suffered due to the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics during the COVID-19 pandemic are predicted to reach 200 billion yen (around Rp.26.73 trillion), said the International Olympic Committee and the Japanese Government as quoted by the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri, Sunday, November 29.

Reported by Antara, Sunday, November 29, the International Olympic Committee and the Japanese Government were forced to postpone the holding of the world's largest sports party for up to one year due to COVID-19. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics was supposed to be held in July, but due to the pandemic, the event was scheduled to take place on March 24, 2021.

The estimated cost of holding the Olympics before being postponed due to COVID-19 reached 1.35 trillion yen (around Rp.182.9 trillion), according to Yomiuri news.

The Olympic organizing committee will determine the amount of losses due to the delay in December 2020, to be precise after the committee, the Tokyo City Government and the Japanese Government meet and discuss, explained the news from Yomiuri.

A spokesman for the Olympics organizers, when contacted via text message, said the committee was still calculating the additional costs incurred as a result of the delay.

Additional costs resulting from delays include staff salaries as well as the budget for introducing a new system for ticket refunds. However, the additional costs do not cover the budget to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Yomiuri explained.

According to news in Yomiuri, organizers initially estimated the loss due to the delay was nearly 300 billion yen (around Rp.40.54 trillion). However, that value can be reduced by simplifying the number of events.