Former IOC member Carlos Nuzman of Brazil was sentenced a few days ago to 30 years in prison for, among other things, bribing IOC members in the 2009 vote for 2016. The voting by IOC members for the 2016 Olympics and 2020 Tokyo Games has been soiled by bribery allegations. Host cities are now picked by the IOC leadership, and decisions have been taken out of the hands of rank-and-file IOC members. The IOC no longer goes through a long bid process. Kyodo said some events would be held in Obihiro, located east of Sapporo, and in Nagano, the host city for the 1998 Winter Games. Despite the promises, Olympic Games consistently run over budget. Citing unnamed sources, Kyodo said the cost saving would be made by using existing facilities.
Kyodo said this was a 20 per cent reduction over estimates made in 2019. This is US$2.55 billion to US$2.65 billion at the current exchange rate. Japan's Kyodo news agency reported earlier this month that Sapporo was likely to announce costs of between 280 billion to 300 billion yen. Other areas that have expressed interest include a Spanish bid from the Aragon and Catalonia regions, a possible bid from Ukraine, 2010 host city Vancouver, and some interest for 2030 or 2034 from Salt Lake City, which held the 2002 Winter Olympics. The International Olympic Committee moved these events on short notice to Sapporo in 2019, fearing Tokyo's hot summer weather. It helped solidify its case by stepping in and serving as the venue for race walks and marathons for the Tokyo Olympics. Sapporo, which held the 1972 Winter Olympics, is considered a leading candidate. Organizers have not yet announced final budget figures for the Tokyo Games. Some estimates suggest the costs might have been twice that much, and all but about US$6 billion was public money.
The announcement comes almost four months after the delayed Tokyo Olympics closed with officials costs estimated at US$15.4 billion. The northern Japanese city of Sapporo is set to announce what it says will be a reduction in costs that will make it an attractive venue for the 2030 Winter Olympics.Ĭity officials were expect to announce details on Monday.