We reported back in June how Tokyo 2020 organizers estimated that the cost of the next edition of the world’s biggest competitive sporting event had ballooned to ¥1.4 trillion ($17.1 billion), almost double the original bid cost estimate.
Athletes competing for their nations may wind up feeling cost cutting measures upon arrival to the Athletes Village in Tokyo less than 1000 days from now, as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) says it will consider revising the ‘level of serve’ at the athlete accommodations.
“We are putting a number of questions to those national Olympic committees as to how we think we can find savings by reducing, to an acceptable level, the level of service in the Olympic Village,” IOC Vice President John Coates told Tokyo 2020 organizers, according to The Washington Post.
One potential cost-saving measure introduced is the idea of limiting the length of time athletes will be allowed to stay in the village, with the IOC asking National Olympic Committees (NOCs) to consider making beds ‘transferrable’.
“NOCs might receive some financial compensation to give up some beds,” Coates said. “They might receive some compensation in return for more transferrable accreditations for their support staff, those things.”
No decisions have been made and the IOC plans to discuss the situation in a more detailed manner in December.
The cost-saving discussions for Tokyo echo those that took place prior to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, where organizers suggested initially cutting air conditioning in the athletes village before reconsidering its decision. TVs were cut from athletes’ rooms to help save money, however.
Cutting the air conditioning would be ridiculous, especially when the athletes are trying to perform at the best of their ability