Japan spent about 10% less of funds earmarked for the hosting of the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo after coronavirus pandemic forced the nation to ban potential spectators from attending the events, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported on Friday, citing sources
TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd December, 2021) Japan spent about 10% less of funds earmarked for the hosting of the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo after coronavirus pandemic forced the nation to ban potential spectators from attending the events, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported on Friday, citing sources.
The initial budget of the event was 1.64 trillion Yen ($14.5 billion), but only about $13 billion was spent in actuality, according to the report. The COVID-19 restrictions and abridged security and transportation drove the cost down, the broadcaster said.
The detailed outline of the spending will be unveiled by the organizing committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the central Japanese government on December 22. Once they finalize the document, they will start discussing how to share the costs, according to the report.
The Tokyo Games were postponed for a year because of the pandemic. Last July, 10 days before the start of the Olympics, Tokyo declared a health emergency. During the sporting event, the number of COVID-19 cases per day peaked above 5,000 in the Japanese capital.
