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Olympic sponsors want the Tokyo Games to be delayed to allow more spectators

Some of Japan’s main sponsors at the Tokyo Olympic Games want the organizers to change the Games for a few months to allow more spectators to attend.

The advice was made secretly in recent weeks, according to people who are aware of this. The request follows frustration among 47 Japanese companies that all paid more than $ 3bn to restore the Games, making them the they are greatly assisted sporting events in history.

“I don’t think the request will help the organizers because they seem determined to do so start July 24th, ”Said a senior executive of one company.

“But it makes a lot of sense, based on our perception that we have to play the game if there are a lot of people who are vaccinated, the weather is good and maybe the public opponents are down.”

The growth of Covid-19 and the slow release of vaccines are frustrating for the public, with opinion showing that 80% of Japanese people want the Olympics to be abolished or suspended.

Number of people who received one vaccine shot in Japan it has exceeded 14m, or 11% of the population.

Sponsors were informed by the Japan Olympic Committee in April that the necessary decision to allow spectators to watch the event would not take place until the deadline, perhaps June 24.

Many companies had large advertising campaigns near ticket offerings and promotions. Banks, brokers, insurance companies, and other large corporate executives were ready to use the event as corporate entertainment.

Two attendees said some companies thought the money spent on the Olympic Games was “worthless” but that the suspension would allow them to make a profit if it would allow spectators to walk around the area.

Suggestions for delaying the last minutes until the end of September or October were made when preparations for the Games entered their final 50 days.

The chief of staff said that the idea of ​​reopening the case was beneficial. He said the company would no longer pay for the project but would consider paying extra if the Olympics were held at the end of the year.

“If the Games started a few months later, if a large portion of the country were vaccinated, there would be little uncertainty and we could consider investing more money as sponsors,” he said.

He also said that there was a dispute within his company about the dangers of linking the nation to an incident in which Shigeru Omi, the doctor leading Covid’s response to Japan, said this week it was “not uncommon” to be in the area.

A Japanese company executive who supported Tokyo’s goal in the Games said: “Japan must do everything possible to ensure that the Olympic Games take place on time and that the government will speed up the release of vaccines. But plan B for a delay of two to three months should also be revised. ”

The Tokyo 2020 design committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Businesses are divided over whether the country should participate in the Olympics. SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son and Hiroshi Mikitani, chief executive of the ecommerce group Rakuten, are among the most vocal critics.

But even among the sponsors, the companies were put in a difficult position due to strong opposition from the people which makes it difficult to promote the event.

Akio Toyoda, the world’s top Olympic chief of staff supporting Toyota, described his frustration on Thursday with the delay in driving the Covid-19 Japan.

“It simply came to our notice then. . . which seeks to address problems, “says Toyoda.” The reality is that we are still in a time of great anxiety and dissatisfaction. “

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