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Tokyo 2020: Olympics must go ahead at any cost in 2021 – Japan’s Olympic minister

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The rearranged Tokyo Games must be held “at any cost” in 2021, says Japan’s Olympic minister Seiko Hashimoto.

The Games, which had been due to start in July, were postponed for a year in March amid the coronavirus pandemic.

On Monday, the International Olympic Committee said the event will go ahead “with or without Covid”.

“Everyone involved is working together to prepare and the athletes are also making considerable efforts towards next year,” said Hashimoto on Tuesday.

“We have to hold the Games at any cost. I want to concentrate all our efforts on measures against the coronavirus.”

Olympic organisers are looking at over 200 proposals on how best to deal with Covid-19, including easing travel restrictions for athletes, anti-virus measures at the athletes’ village and how to cope with spectators.

Tokyo 2020 chief executive Toshiro Muto has already said the Games will be “simplified” and “not be done with grand splendour”.

Author

Milton Nyakundi

Milton Nyakundi is a veteran multimedia journalist with over 20 years of experience across broadcast, digital, and print media, who relocated to the United States in 2022 and is now the Senior International Correspondent for Kurunzi News based in Washington, DC, USA. He has previously worked with the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), among other high-profile roles with Kenya's first privately-owned media outlet - Kenya Television Network. His experience also include prominent roles as Media Consultant for Football Kenya Federation (FKF), and StarTimes Kenya. His career spans high‑stakes political reporting covering legislative and constitutional issues, elections, governance, and accountability across Kenya, Africa, and global arenas. He also boasts extensive sports journalism experience, covering local and international sports events, including leagues, tournaments and sports governance. He is well-known for his investigative depth, editorial leadership, and evidence-driven journalism that guides his consistent delivery of public‑interest storytelling across platforms.

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