• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, July 15, 2025

2020 Olympics Cancellation Outlook

  • President of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee says cancelation would occur instead additional postponement.
  • The Japan Times reported canceling the game would result in “economic damage” of $42.1 billion.
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The 2020 Summer Olympic Games were already likely among the single largest casualties of the coronavirus outbreak, but there potentially is even more dire news for the Tokyo event. Should the current pandemic threats persist into next summer, the president of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, Yoshiro Mori, told Nikkan Sports a delay to 2022 would not happen and the games would be outright canceled.

Mori noted the Olympic Games have been canceled before during wartime and the world is “fighting against an invisible enemy now.” The Olympics were canceled three times for World War I and World War II.

“This is a gamble by the human race,” Mori said. “If we can hold the Olympics after the world beats the virus, the games will have many times more value than in the past.” The postponement has already added an additional $2.7 billion to the $12.6 billion budget, making it the second-most expensive games in history.

The ultimate economic impact to Japan is still to be determined, according to CNBC. The Japan Times reported canceling the games would result in “economic damage” of $42.1 billion. There’s also the $4.8 billion NBC paid the IOC for the Olympic rights through 2020 and the more than $1 billion in ads sold by NBC. 

The outlook for athletes is equally grim. Following the postponement, the New York Times reported the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee would have to wait another year for the $200 million its athletes rely on for living and training stipends. That’s not counting all the endorsements that have been upended. 

Japan is currently under a month-long state of emergency due to a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases, and according to NBC Sports, a Japanese professor of infectious diseases is “pessimistic” the games could be held in 15 months. 

Meanwhile, other experts have also said both the summer Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics could be at the mercy of a vaccine for the coronavirus, which is at least a year away.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

May 31, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Sydney McLaughin-Levrone (USA) reacts before the women's 100m hurdles during the Grand Slam Track Philadelphia at Franklin Field
exclusive

Track’s New Money Is Running Into Old Problems

The sport’s big-money era has hit some speed bumps in 2025.
Caster Semenya

Caster Semenya’s Legal Win Could Reopen Fight Against Testosterone Limits

The Olympian champion’s appeal against gender eligibility rules continues.
Feb 7, 2025; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies center Tarris Reed Jr. (5) reacts after his basket against the St. John's Red Storm in the first half at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion.

After Decade Apart, ESPN and Big East Rekindle Media Rights Relationship

After a decade-plus apart, the network will stream hundreds of conference events.

Baseball’s Celebrity Row: Behind MLB’s First-Pitch Ritual

Often planned, sometimes spontaneous, the ritual throw is baseball’s celebrity row.

Featured Today

Bobbleheads are seen at Vintage Indy Sports, Tuesday, April 29, 2025 in Speedway. The local sports memorabilia store opened recently.

Baseball’s Bobbleheads Are the Center of the Collectibles Universe

Baseball’s most important keepsake drives long lines—and big business.
Rimouski, QC - JUNE 1: Final Game of the 2025 Memorial Cup between the Medicine Hats Tigers and the London Knights on June 1, 2025, at the Colisée Financière Sun Life in Rimouski, Qc.
July 11, 2025

CHL Is Facing a ‘Pandora’s Box’ of Questions Amid NCAA Talent Departure

As players defect to college, the Canadian Hockey League won’t cede ground.
Jun 28, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) bats during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field.
July 9, 2025

The Torpedo Bat Business Is Still Going Strong: ‘Here to Stay’

Demand for the oddly shaped bats has stayed strong across the sport.
July 6, 2025

American Celebs Want to Be Sports Owners. Soccer Is Where They Start

As U.S. team prices climb, investors set their sights abroad.
Jun 13, 2018; Moscow, Russia; A general view of a beer stand inside of Luschniki Stadium one day prior to the start of the FIFA World Cup 2018.

Saudi Arabia Says No Alcohol at 2034 World Cup

Saudi Arabia won’t allow alcohol anywhere during the 2034 World Cup.
August 30, 2024

Premier League Transfer Spending Has Already Topped $2 Billion As Deadline Looms

Saudi Pro League teams haven’t yet matched their English counterparts.
January 13, 2025

Gavin Newsom Reveals Status of 2028 Olympics As Los Angeles Wildfires Roar

Gavin Newsom says there’s a “Marshall Plan” to rebuild Los Angeles.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
Paralympics Tiktok
August 25, 2024

The Wildly Successful Paralympics TikTok Account Isn’t What You Think

A cheeky TikTok account is opening the world of Paralympic sports.
August 11, 2024

Passing of the Torch: Los Angeles Set for Olympic Firsts in 2028

The city last hosted the Summer Olympics in 1984.
August 1, 2024

Saudi Arabia Submits Bold World Cup Bid That Includes a Cliffside Arena

The Saudis are proposing a new stadium in a futuristic city called Neom.
John John Florence (USA) surfs in men’s round two competition during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games at Tsurigasaki Surfing Beach.
July 29, 2024

Olympic Surfers Won’t Get Their Full Paris Moment

‘We’re kind of separate off on our own little thing over here.’