ORGANISERS of the Tokyo Olympic Games say the Games will go ahead next year with or without a vaccine for Covid-19, but it is likely there will be limited spectators and no “highly festive mood” like previous Games.

The Japanese Government expects they will vaccinate everyone in the country against the coronavirus by the middle of 2021. However, in an interview with The Washington Post, CEO of Tokyo 2020, Toshiro Muto, said: “We don’t think a vaccine is a prerequisite for holding the Olympics. It would be still beneficial if an effective vaccine is developed by next year, and we do hope that will be the case.”

The Japanese central Government, metropolitan Government and the Tokyo 2020 organisers were due to hold talks yesterday (Friday) about how they will host the Games if the virus remains a threat. The board of the IOC (International Olympic Committee) will meet remotely on Wednesday next to receive updates and reports from the Organising Committee.

Muto said the possibility of limiting spectators, wearing masks, mandatory testing and social distancing would all be discussed by officials. “We think that the Olympics will be held with the coronavirus still around, so for us the biggest task is to explore and come up with necessary and effective measures to combat the coronavirus,” Muto said in The Washington Post. “It is not only the spectators. We are discussing measures for the athletes and all the other stakeholders.

“I don’t think it’s ideal to hold the Games with no spectators, but we need to discuss how to go about limiting the number of spectators,” he added, saying any ticket holders who cannot attend will be refunded.

It is likely the Games will not have the normal extravagant opening ceremonies and celebrations if the virus is still rampant. “We believe it is not appropriate to try to hold the Olympics next year in a highly festive mood as we would have done when there were no infections of the new coronavirus,” Muto said.

Following a wide range study, Danish Professor Bent Flyvbjerg at the University of Oxford said the Tokyo Games are already the most expensive summer Olympics on record. The cost overrun currently exceeds 200% with billions more expected to be spent with 10 months to go.