According to Kyodo News, on the 12th, Yoshiro Mori, chairman of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Organizing Committee, said that it was “absolutely impossible” to postpone the Tokyo Olympics for another year.
Yoshiro Mori pointed out that many of the staff of the Olympic Organizing Committee who played a central role in the preparations for the event were seconded from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and related ministries and agencies. It is difficult to further extend the secondment period. He said that “it is not a question of money.”
Regarding whether to accept audiences from overseas under the pandemic, Yoshiro Mori said that he would pay close attention to the pandemic and expected that “I think we need to make very difficult judgments in February or March.”
The results of a national telephone public opinion survey conducted by Kyodo News on 9th and 10th showed that 14.1% of participants supported holding the Olympics and Paralympics this summer, while 44.8% were in favor of another postponement and 35.3% preferred suspension. The people supporting holding and postponing the events totaled 58.9%. Yoshiro Mori stated that “about 60% of the population think that the Olympics should be postponed (again)”. He said that he “feels very encouraged” about this.
Yoshiro Mori revealed about the National Arena, the main venue completed in 2019, that due to insufficient equipment for the VIP seats to welcome the Emperor and heads of states, some renovations were carried out by the Olympic Organizing Committee.
