Tokyo announces new creative team in rush to streamline ceremonies
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Tokyo Olympics officials on Wednesday announced a new creative team to organize the opening and closing ceremonies next year. They will be pared due to COVID-19 safeguards.
The new creative team will be headed by Hiroshi Sasaki. He was one of the seven directors previously responsible for the opening and closing events. Sasaki said that his team is on a tight schedule to revamp plans for the new “simplified” ceremonies.
“Conditions are fairly tough… But, at this stage, honestly, progress isn’t being made yet,” Sasaki told a press conference.
Message of ‘breakthrough or hope’
The Tokyo Olympic Games were initially slated to begin on 24 July 2020. However, they were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic which has severely disturbed the international sporting calendar.
Since then, organisers and government officials have been looking at ways to cut costs, simplify the Games and safeguard athletes and spectators. Doubts are still being cast over the viability of conducting a global large-scale event as COVID-19 rages on.
Although the ceremony planners were short on details, Sasaki said he pictured the ceremonies in the Tokyo Olympics as a message of “breakthrough or hope” during the pandemic. On Tuesday, the organisers said they would spend $900 million on measures to stop the spread of coronavirus during the Games next year.
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Ira Deokule
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