Will a year less a day profoundly change the Tokyo 2020 Games? Postponed for 12 months, the Olympic and Paralympic event will appear next summer as an almost exact copy of its initial version?
Four IOC directors were brought together on Thursday April 2 for a telephone press conference intended to provide answers to these questions. Christophe Dubi, the director of the Olympic Games, Kit McConnell, his sports counterpart, James MacLeod, in charge of Olympic Solidarity and relations with the national Olympic committees, and finally Timo Lumme, responsible for marketing and television. Heavy.
Lots of questions, then. But, not surprisingly, few answers. Everyone repeated it without fearing an effect of weariness: discussions are ongoing, options under study and analyzes carried out jointly between Lausanne and Tokyo. In short, the working groups formed in Switzerland and Japan to work on postponing the Games got to work. But, at this stage of the process, they are still listing the files to classify them by priority. Decisions will come later.
Let's quickly move on to certainties, they are rare. The first sounds obvious, but Christophe Dubi repeated it: “ There will be additional costs, for the Tokyo organizing committee but also for the Olympic family. » Not really a scoop. How much ? Who will pay? The Swiss is more evasive. “ Costing is an ongoing processhe says. It represents tens of thousands of budget lines. »
Another certainty, confirmed by Kit McConnell: the program for the Tokyo Games in 2021 will be identical to its initial version. Clearly, the IOC and the Japanese will copy and paste it, without trying to update it. Additional sports will remain additional, the events will retain their schedules. Above all, the device will not move.
In the case of athletics, the relocation of the marathon and walking events to Sapporo remains relevant. However, it had been the subject of a psychodrama between the IOC and the Tokyo authorities, including the governor, Yuriko Koike. “ For now, the program remains the same, including the events planned in Sapporo.", assured Kit McConnell. For now, at least. But the file could evolve. Yuriko Koike wishes so. Sebastian Coe, the president of World Athletics, would not be opposed to further study of the question either.
For the rest, the IOC uses the conditional without restraint. He just suggests that the next decisions could come in the coming weeks.
Among the priorities, in Tokyo as in Lausanne: securing the Olympic sites. Thomas Bach suggested last week that they might not all be available next summer. Thursday April 2, its four directors showed themselves more confident.
The question of the athletes' village, in particular, figures prominently among the first files to be completed. It was to be delivered to a consortium at the end of the Paralympic Games, to be occupied by its next inhabitants from the start of 2023.
In the meantime, the Japanese developers had to transform the common areas and carry out developments, intended in particular for the construction of shops, play areas, relaxation areas, etc. Christophe Dubi explained: “ Discussions with the consortium have begun, we are confident that they will be concluded quickly and will go in the right direction. »
Another question without a real answer: the age limit of those selected. It concerns two sports, football and gymnastics.
In the first case, it is set at 23 years old, except for only three players from each team. “ It would make sense for athletes who have qualified their team to be able to compete in the Games.”, suggested Kit McConnell. Logical, indeed, but not certain. The discussions started with FIFA have not yet been concluded.
For gymnastics, the regulations impose a minimum age of 16 for girls, and 18 for boys, to be reached during the Olympic year. Will a gymnast not eligible to participate in the Tokyo Games in 2020 become eligible in 2021? The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) has not yet decided. Neither does the IOC.
Finally, will the IOC bring forward its timetable to definitively validate before Tokyo 2020 the choice of additional sports for the Paris 2024 Games? The decision was planned for the end of 2020. Will it be postponed for a year? Nothing has been decided yet, admitted Kit McConnell.
