TOKYO – Organizers of the Tokyo Summer Olympics will not shorten the Olympic torch relay or somehow amend its schedule, Kyodo news agency reported Thursday, citing sources, close to the organizers.
The relay will start on March 25, 2021, in the Fukushima province. It will last for 121 days, the torch will be brought across 47 provinces of Japan.
According to the report, the authorities concluded that making the relay smaller will not save a significant amount of budget money. On the contrary, it will cause additional negotiation and problems with the sponsors and the local authorities. However, amendments could be made to the accompanying entertainment events and coronavirus prevention measures, depending on the situation.
In June, the organizational committee officially endorsed simplification of the next year’s competition. The Olympic games are supposed to be organized upon three main principles: provision of safety, minimization of expenses and simplification of the Games’ format in a bid to make them safer.
The Olympics were supposed to take place in Tokyo between July 24 and August 9, 2020. However, due to the pandemic, the Games will take place between July 23 and August 8, 2021. (TASS)