As we literally celebrate Olympic Day at Intel Corporation today with the impressive Simone Biles, Ashton Eaton and April Ross (Fight on April and happy birthday!), I wanted to delve into how the Land of the Rising Sun is coping up with all the expectations to put up a great show in the summer of 2020 for the Summer Olympics. Beijing 2008 will be incredibly hard to beat for anyone, but Japan 2020 promises to be an exciting time for everyone around the world.
The International Olympics Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach is calling Tokyo the best prepared host city in memory - there are still obstacles ahead for the 2020 games - though small by the standards of corruption that plagued the Rio 2016 Olympics. Many are worried that the growing summer heat in the city is a major worry and have moved up the Marathon and Rugby events to have an earlier start time of 5.30-6.00am for athletes to compete in the cooler air. Similarly, even Mountain Biking has been moved to the later part of the afternoon instead of having the event in the soaring sunshine. The organizers seem to be preparing more cooling light-water sprays, effective pavement for the running courses and more shade for the fans. As a result, they seem to be currently struggling to keep the 600 billion yen (USD 5.3 billion) operating budget balanced with heat-related solutions driving up the expenditure. This is a privately funded budget to run the games themselves and separate from billions more that governments are spending to prepare the city - a stark contrast to what was being done in Rio, where there was no accountability of who was in-charge of providing certain amenities for the Games. Most of their operating budget derives its income from the IOC, domestic sponsorship sales, merchandise sales and ticket sales - the largest of which comes from domestic sponsorship accounting to $3 billion. This enthusiasm from Japanese companies has helped smashed multiple records.
The President of the Organizing Committee has said that they'll need about $100 million more to meet the budget requirements, but is hopeful that there won't be any drain on the public purse. Despite the wealth of private money, public money is still the backbone of the Tokyo Olympics - the national government's Board of Audit spelled out the total Olympics cost in a 178-page report published way back in October 2017 which forecasts total spending to prepare the games at $20 billion which included private operating budget. The rest comes from the national government, the city of Tokyo and other local governments - meaning, about 75% of the funding is taxpayer's money - this reality sharply contrasts with Tokyo's winning bid in 2013, claiming that the overall projected costs for the Olympics would stand at $7.3 billion. The Tokyo organizers and the IOC still dispute what are attributed as costs - and what are not - some projects might have been built without the Olympics and are not clearly related while others are driven directly by the requirements of hosting the games. Stung by the criticism of forcing cities to build white elephant venues, the IOC is saying that the upcoming Olympics in Paris (2024) and Los Angeles (2028) will rely heavily on existing venues - the same is true for the two bids for the 2026 Winter Olympics: Stockholm, Sweden and the Italian bid of Milan-Cortina. The outlier though is the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics - the Chinese capital spent at least $40 billion on the 2008 Summer Olympics and the IOC have cautioned China to keep the costs down.
So, what makes Japan stand out to the world and what are they doing currently to be ready? As a country deeply steeped in tradition, Japan has always been unique with an eclectic mix of old-world ideologies and modern technologies - of ancient traditions interspersed with modern ideals - a mostly homogeneous culture trying to come to terms with the unstoppable force of globalization and all the changes it brings. It is absolutely mind-boggling that a country which prides itself in having innovative technology lacks behind some countries in some very essential ways - from access to WiFi, to accommodating disabled people, to views about the rest of the world. For example, when it comes to a high-tech bathroom/ toilet experience, Japan has still outdated squatting toilets that not even Japanese people like to use. Often times in major train stations, you'll see escalators go up but very few escalators going down, if at all. The inadvertent influx of tourists and guest workers/ volunteers will undoubtedly put a major strain on Tokyo's transportation system - which is already filled to the brim during peak hours - it is one of the most densely populated cities in the world after all. Another mystifying phenomenon in Japan is that credit cards are still very rare and cash is still king - this may cause problems for visitors used to their electronic cash.
To tackle all these issues, Japan is not holding back on spending for preparation in the lead up to the Games. They already have a relatively high amount of English speakers considering its history and it is undeniable that there has been an influx of individuals studying the language now - the educational system has started to ramp up their English studies for students and some private schools have started specialty courses for those specifically looking to volunteer. If you're sightseeing in Japan, you'll notice multiple cultural heritage sites and major tourist attractions under renovation - especially, the Himeji Castle, the Hiroshima Peace Museum and the Tosho-Gu in Nikko - historically, all these sites have been exposed to multiple natural disasters like heavy rains, tsunamis and earthquakes, but it is kind of obvious why they're being renovated at this time. Japan already has one of the most elaborate and efficient public transport systems in the world - and they are proposing an altered train schedule during the Olympics, but details aren't quite set yet. There is also additional construction done to roads to some tourist destinations. There are also smoking rule changes in many of its restaurants - currently, there are very few regulations in terms of smoking and many restaurants allow smoking in their establishments - however, this has been met with criticism as it seems ridiculous to some that the Japanese should have to cater to foreigners and impose such measures for them.
Following Tokyo being announced as the host city for the 2020 Olympics, it was announced that the National Olympic Stadium from the 1964 Olympics would be knocked down to create a new national arena - a new state of the art facility budgeted at 155 billion yen to seat somewhere around 68000 to 80000 spectators. This was a more controversial change than the rest - even more so than the smoking thing. There have been complaints by local businesses as to the effect of the construction on them, but despite all this, the creation of a New National Stadium is still seen in the eyes of many people, including members of the IOC, as a symbol to the rest of the world when hosting the opening and closing ceremonies - the goal was to move away from concrete and incorporate much more wood - a unique Japanese aesthetic. All we can now do is just wait and watch what Japan has in store for us next summer.
The International Olympics Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach is calling Tokyo the best prepared host city in memory - there are still obstacles ahead for the 2020 games - though small by the standards of corruption that plagued the Rio 2016 Olympics. Many are worried that the growing summer heat in the city is a major worry and have moved up the Marathon and Rugby events to have an earlier start time of 5.30-6.00am for athletes to compete in the cooler air. Similarly, even Mountain Biking has been moved to the later part of the afternoon instead of having the event in the soaring sunshine. The organizers seem to be preparing more cooling light-water sprays, effective pavement for the running courses and more shade for the fans. As a result, they seem to be currently struggling to keep the 600 billion yen (USD 5.3 billion) operating budget balanced with heat-related solutions driving up the expenditure. This is a privately funded budget to run the games themselves and separate from billions more that governments are spending to prepare the city - a stark contrast to what was being done in Rio, where there was no accountability of who was in-charge of providing certain amenities for the Games. Most of their operating budget derives its income from the IOC, domestic sponsorship sales, merchandise sales and ticket sales - the largest of which comes from domestic sponsorship accounting to $3 billion. This enthusiasm from Japanese companies has helped smashed multiple records.
The President of the Organizing Committee has said that they'll need about $100 million more to meet the budget requirements, but is hopeful that there won't be any drain on the public purse. Despite the wealth of private money, public money is still the backbone of the Tokyo Olympics - the national government's Board of Audit spelled out the total Olympics cost in a 178-page report published way back in October 2017 which forecasts total spending to prepare the games at $20 billion which included private operating budget. The rest comes from the national government, the city of Tokyo and other local governments - meaning, about 75% of the funding is taxpayer's money - this reality sharply contrasts with Tokyo's winning bid in 2013, claiming that the overall projected costs for the Olympics would stand at $7.3 billion. The Tokyo organizers and the IOC still dispute what are attributed as costs - and what are not - some projects might have been built without the Olympics and are not clearly related while others are driven directly by the requirements of hosting the games. Stung by the criticism of forcing cities to build white elephant venues, the IOC is saying that the upcoming Olympics in Paris (2024) and Los Angeles (2028) will rely heavily on existing venues - the same is true for the two bids for the 2026 Winter Olympics: Stockholm, Sweden and the Italian bid of Milan-Cortina. The outlier though is the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics - the Chinese capital spent at least $40 billion on the 2008 Summer Olympics and the IOC have cautioned China to keep the costs down.So, what makes Japan stand out to the world and what are they doing currently to be ready? As a country deeply steeped in tradition, Japan has always been unique with an eclectic mix of old-world ideologies and modern technologies - of ancient traditions interspersed with modern ideals - a mostly homogeneous culture trying to come to terms with the unstoppable force of globalization and all the changes it brings. It is absolutely mind-boggling that a country which prides itself in having innovative technology lacks behind some countries in some very essential ways - from access to WiFi, to accommodating disabled people, to views about the rest of the world. For example, when it comes to a high-tech bathroom/ toilet experience, Japan has still outdated squatting toilets that not even Japanese people like to use. Often times in major train stations, you'll see escalators go up but very few escalators going down, if at all. The inadvertent influx of tourists and guest workers/ volunteers will undoubtedly put a major strain on Tokyo's transportation system - which is already filled to the brim during peak hours - it is one of the most densely populated cities in the world after all. Another mystifying phenomenon in Japan is that credit cards are still very rare and cash is still king - this may cause problems for visitors used to their electronic cash.To tackle all these issues, Japan is not holding back on spending for preparation in the lead up to the Games. They already have a relatively high amount of English speakers considering its history and it is undeniable that there has been an influx of individuals studying the language now - the educational system has started to ramp up their English studies for students and some private schools have started specialty courses for those specifically looking to volunteer. If you're sightseeing in Japan, you'll notice multiple cultural heritage sites and major tourist attractions under renovation - especially, the Himeji Castle, the Hiroshima Peace Museum and the Tosho-Gu in Nikko - historically, all these sites have been exposed to multiple natural disasters like heavy rains, tsunamis and earthquakes, but it is kind of obvious why they're being renovated at this time. Japan already has one of the most elaborate and efficient public transport systems in the world - and they are proposing an altered train schedule during the Olympics, but details aren't quite set yet. There is also additional construction done to roads to some tourist destinations. There are also smoking rule changes in many of its restaurants - currently, there are very few regulations in terms of smoking and many restaurants allow smoking in their establishments - however, this has been met with criticism as it seems ridiculous to some that the Japanese should have to cater to foreigners and impose such measures for them.Following Tokyo being announced as the host city for the 2020 Olympics, it was announced that the National Olympic Stadium from the 1964 Olympics would be knocked down to create a new national arena - a new state of the art facility budgeted at 155 billion yen to seat somewhere around 68000 to 80000 spectators. This was a more controversial change than the rest - even more so than the smoking thing. There have been complaints by local businesses as to the effect of the construction on them, but despite all this, the creation of a New National Stadium is still seen in the eyes of many people, including members of the IOC, as a symbol to the rest of the world when hosting the opening and closing ceremonies - the goal was to move away from concrete and incorporate much more wood - a unique Japanese aesthetic. All we can now do is just wait and watch what Japan has in store for us next summer.
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