Olympics organisers question spending of IOC’s allocated funds for 2020 games

The organisers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the first in history to be postponed, said on Friday they were not aware of detailed spending allocations for $800 million committed to next year’s rescheduled Games by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Such knowledge is critical as the total costs of the Games, delayed by a year because of the coronavirus pandemic, remain unknown, with Japan’s government and the Tokyo 2020 organisers still assessing how to share the costs.

“We, in the organizing committee ourselves, have no idea about how this money will be spent,” Toshiro Muto, the chief executive of the organising committee, told an online briefing.

“As to the breakdown…I also understand that the IOC has stated it is too soon and too early to tell.”

On Thursday, Thomas Bach, president of the IOC, said it expected to bear costs of up to $800 million. Of this, $650 million will go for organization of the Games, set to start on July 23 next year, and $150 million to support international federations and National Olympic Committees.

CD eNews via Reuters