After being postponed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics are set to begin on July 23. However, according to Front Office Sports, Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Toshihiro Nikai has said there is a real possibility that the games could still be canceled.
“Of course. If the Olympics are going to be the factor causing COVID to spread extensively, then what are we holding the Games for?” Nikai said in an interview when asked if canceling is still an option.
The news comes as COVID-19 cases are rising in Japan and only 1.4% of the population vaccinated. FOS also notes that 40% of the population is in favor of canceling the games, and another 33% thinks they should be postponed, according to a recent poll by Kyodo News.
In early February, NBC Sports put out a press release announcing the network’s coverage plans.
“NBC Olympics will provide unprecedented coverage of the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics on Friday, July 23, creating a full day of Olympic programming on NBC that culminates in what is always one of the most-watched nights in television with the primetime presentation of the Ceremony.”
The network was planning its first-ever live morning broadcast of an Opening Ceremony, followed by a special edition of TODAY and NBC’s first-ever Olympic Daytime show on the opening Friday of the Games.
If the games do indeed get canceled again, this would mean a major missed opportunity for NBCUniversal as the corporation was hoping the Olympics would turbocharge its Peacock streaming service, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
As far as the International Olympic Committee goes, postponing the games in 2020 cost them an estimated $800 million, and the total cost of the games could be around $25 billion, per FOS.