• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, April 1, 2025
Nominations Are Open for Front Office Sports Honors! Submit Now

Two Years After Tokyo’s $13B Olympics: Criminal Charges

  • Trial begins in bid-rigging scandal further marring already troubled Games.
  • Defense arguments center around perceived lack of specificity in bid process.
Tokyo-Olympics
Yukihito Taguchi-USA TODAY Sports

The book still isn’t closed on the pandemic-delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and the latest chapter is perhaps the ugliest yet.

More than two years after those Games were held, in the summer of 2021 at a reported cost of $13 billion, six companies, including the advertising giant Dentsu, along with seven individuals, are standing trial in Japan on charges related to the bidding process. 

Those allegations largely center around claims of rigging a string of Games-related contracts. Dentsu in particular served as the chief marketing arm of the Tokyo Olympics, raising a record $3.3 billion in local sponsorships and receiving a commission on sales.

Many of the charges are going uncontested. Instead, the defense’s arguments are centered around a perceived lack of specificity within the bidding process. 

“Even if what happened gets categorized as bid-rigging, all my client did was abide by the organizing committee’s intentions, following their instructions,” said Genta Yoshino, an attorney representing former Dentsu sports executive Koji Henmi. 

Dark Coda

The trial, which is expected to stretch into 2024, represents a dark coda to one of the most challenged and controversial Olympics in modern history. On top of the yearlong pandemic delay, the event drew record-low ratings in the U.S., and a Japanese audit suggested that the actual expenditure to stage the event was perhaps twice what organizers said. Additionally, the scandal derailed a once-favored bid by the northern city of Sapporo to return the 2030 Winter Olympics to Japan.

The maximum penalty for any company found guilty in the Tokyo trial is $3.3 million, while individuals face up to five years in prison, with a $33,000 fine. 

The Tokyo situation also carries some thematic similarities to the ongoing turmoil surrounding the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris (2024) and Brisbane (’32), highlighting the growing difficulty of staging the Games in their current form. 

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Clark Hunt: Chiefs Will Decide on Stadium Plans by Summer

The Chiefs owner also addresses TV, Patrick Mahomes, and the White House.
Oct 20, 2024; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; General view of a television camera operator during the game between the Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

Sources: NFL ‘Virtual Lock’ to Opt Out of Media-Rights Deals

Data continues to support an early opt-out of the league’s rights.

NFL Owners Face Big Decisions on 18th Game, Streaming, Rules

The league approaches its key offseason gathering with a sense of resurgent growth.

Featured Today

Seattle Kraken

Samantha Holloway Is Seattle’s NHL Present—and Hopeful NBA Future

Samantha Holloway is steering the Kraken and hoping to revive pro hoops.
Brehanna Daniels
March 31, 2025

NASCAR Pit Crew Member Brehanna Daniels Didn’t Know She’d Be a Trailblazer

The first Black female tire changer didn’t know she’d be a trailblazer.
Columbia, SC - February 16, 2025 - Colonial Life Arena: Rebecca Lobo and Ryan Ruocco during a regular season game.
March 30, 2025

Inside Ryan Ruocco’s Rapid Rise to ESPN’s Top Voice of Women’s Hoops

The top voice became “quickly addicted” to calling the women’s game.
Mar 27, 2025; Newark, NJ, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide guard Chris Youngblood (8) and the Alabama Crimson Tide bench celebrate during the second half against the Brigham Young Cougars during an East Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Prudential Center.
March 29, 2025

How Alabama Became College Basketball’s Newest Juggernaut

The Crimson Tide have found success rivaling their historic football program.
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

How UBS Crafts Impactful Partnerships Across Sports, Arts, and Culture

As UBS continues to expand its impressive array of sports and entertainment partnerships, the company solidifies its position as a leader in wealth management.
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.’