Tokyo 2020: Organisers to give refund to ticket buyers in Japan


Tokyo Olympics were to take place in July 2020. However, the Covid 19 pandemic forced the International Olympic Commitee (IOC) to postpone the coveted tournament to 2021.
Now, local organizing committee has released a statement guaranteeing fans in Japan who bought tickets to the postponed Games, a refund.
This does not apply to fans outside of Japan, who have bought tickets from the so-called Authorized Ticket Resellers, appointed by national Olympic committees. Many have already laid down terms for refunds, varying by nation and territory.
Fans in Japan who already know they won’t be able to use their tickets for next year can apply online for a refund between November 10-30. The Paralympic period is from December 1-21.
“May not be able to provide spectating opportunities to a part of the ticket holders”

Due to the Covid 19 pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics may have limited seating. In that case, according to the organizers, the tickets would be refunded.
“As the host there is a possibility that we may not be able to provide spectating opportunities to a part of the ticket holders,” Tokyo Olympics spokesperson said during an online briefing “In that case we will provide a refund.“
The ticket situation, along with several other issues, regarding the postponed Tokyo Olympics is still unclear. The conditions will depend on the ongoing pandemic.
The 2021 Olympics are set to start on July 23rd. But how exactly it is going to take place in regards to vaccinations and quarantine periods is still in question.
The Tokyo organizers and IOC are looking into finding a solution to handle immigration and the novel coronavirus. Throughout the pandemic, Japan has been relatively safe. But the situation elsewhere isn’t the same.
Tokyo Olympics: The most expensive Summer Olympics on record

One of the biggest concerns that lies ahead is how to let 15,400 athletes and Paralympians, with thousands of coaches, sponsors, officials, judges, media and broadcasters. Especially the situation with the audience. Will fans from abroad be allowed to attend? Or will it be only Japaneese?
Another major concern for the IOC is getting the Games on television. The amount of broadcast selling rights makes 73% of the income and another 14% comes from the 14 top sponsors.
Tokyo organizers had $800 million in income from ticket sales, their third largest income. Any shortfall could stress an already stretched budget. A total of 7.8 million tickets for the Olympics had been available over all.
Hidenori Suzuki, the organizing committee’s deputy executive director of marketing, said he had a specific number local numbers. However, he was unsure how many tickets have been sold outside.
“We do not have an accurate figure,” he said. He suggested it was 10-20% of the overall total, which could mean anything between 780,000 and 1.56 million tickets.
Tokyo says it its spending 12.6 billion on the Olympics but a government audit last year suggested it might be twice as much. And 7 billion of it is public money.
And no statement has come from the organizers of the government, on the cost incurred because of the one year delay. The University of Oxford said in November, that this Summer Olympics was the most expensive on record.
Also read: Cricket in Olympics: ICC asks members to ‘analyze benefits’ of including cricket in Olympic Games
FS Desk
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