Fireworks light up the sky during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo on August 24, 2021. (Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU/AFP)
The cost of hosting the Tokyo Olympics delayed by the pandemic last year was 20% higher than the final figure reported by the organizers, according to an analysis by the Japanese audit council.
A report released late Wednesday showed that the Olympics cost 1.7 trillion yen ($12.9 billion), up from the 1.42 trillion yen Tokyo 2020 reported at the start of the year. now.
The audit committee said organizers did not miscalculate some of the Olympic-related government spending on items including anti-doping measures, athlete training, Japanese food at the Olympic village. Olympic stadiums and stadiums.
And its report urges future governments to “disclose the total cost in a timely manner when it is significantly related to a major event.”
The 2013 bid for the Tokyo Olympics estimated the event would cost just 734 billion yen, but costs have steadily increased, plus the postponement of the pandemic adds to the costs.
Asked about the cost on Thursday, government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters that “the government takes the points raised seriously and will respond appropriately,” without providing details.
The Olympics were held a year later than planned because of the pandemic — the first Olympics postponed in peacetime — and spectators were barred from nearly all events that had been held under strict measures. strict countermeasures of Covid-19.
Japanese prosecutors are currently investigating a series of allegations of bid fraud related to sponsorship contracts at the Tokyo Olympics.
On Thursday, a former executive of a major clothing company went to court on charges of bribing a Tokyo 2020 official and admitting to giving money to secure his company’s sponsorship rights, National broadcaster NHK said.
A corruption scandal has cast a shadow over the northern city of Sapporo’s bid to host the 2030 Winter Olympics.
Officials there this week announced that they would stop holding promotional events for bids and are now holding a nationwide poll to gauge support.
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