[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] With the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) pandemic leading to the unprecedented decision to postpone the quadrennial Olympic Games, confusion has become inevitable for our national team and sports organizations preparing for the event. The issues mainly involve three areas: reselecting athletes, rescheduling training, and handling already secured local accommodations and support facilities. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee plan to form a task force soon to address the anticipated problems related to our athletes caused by the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
◆ How to select athletes?= A Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official said on the 25th, "Some sports have already selected their representatives, while others need to hold additional qualifiers and selection matches," adding, "We plan to gather opinions from sports organizations and prepare countermeasures accordingly." This afternoon, the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee and coaches from various sports will begin discussions at the Jincheon National Training Center regarding this matter. Once the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announces the exact timing of the Tokyo Olympics and detailed guidelines for Olympic qualifiers by each International Federation (IF), the task force will develop specific plans based on that information.
For example, in football, players under 23 years old are eligible to participate in the Olympics. Players born in 1997, who were the age limit for participation this year, will be ineligible next year if the event is postponed by one year due to age restrictions. Kim Hak-beom, head coach of the U-23 football team, which had been preparing for the Tokyo Olympics focusing on this age group, said, "Although it is disappointing that the Tokyo Olympics have been postponed, health is much more important, so I think it is the right decision," and added, "We will calmly wait for the regulations regarding participation age and other rules related to the postponement to be finalized and then organize future plans."
◆ What about the Taeguk Warriors training at the athlete village?= Athletes from various sports had been fully focused on improving their skills at the Jincheon National Training Center with just over 100 days left until the Tokyo Olympics, originally scheduled to open on July 24. With the event approaching and the spread of COVID-19, they had stopped going out or staying overnight outside and were concentrating on training. With the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics, they now need to reorganize their schedules for conditioning and training.
Shin Chi-yong, head of the National Training Center, said, "The athletes are very tired from training with high concentration," and added, "We will first grant them a break, and then decide on future training plans after consulting with the coaches of each sport." All athletes currently training at the Jincheon Training Center will be sent home by the 27th, and the timing and method of re-entry after a basic three-week period will be decided considering external circumstances.
A Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official said, "Basically, we will gather opinions from each sports organization," and added, "We can separate athletes who want to train at the athlete village from those planning external training and adjust details such as training expenses accordingly."
◆ What about support centers, accommodations, and sponsor contracts?= The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee had planned to operate their own meal training support center by renting a hotel in central Tokyo, amid growing concerns over the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee’s plan to supply food ingredients from the Fukushima area, where a nuclear accident occurred. It is known that the hotel contract was completed and a deposit was paid. With the postponement of the event, adjustments to the contract period or refunds of paid amounts are now necessary.
A Korean Sport & Olympic Committee official said, "This is something to discuss with the local hotel." Some sports organizations had also booked accommodations for their staff before the COVID-19 outbreak. While some organizations included clauses allowing cancellation and refunds in case of natural disasters, others will need to negotiate cancellation issues with the accommodation facilities. There are also issues regarding sponsorship contracts with companies supporting the national team. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee official said, "Official sponsors set the contract period from the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics through the Tokyo Olympics," adding, "Even if the event is postponed to next year, the official name remains the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, so the contract is considered valid, but detailed matters will also be discussed."
Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and IOC President Thomas Bach agreed on the 24th via phone call to postpone the Tokyo Olympics to next year. The name will remain the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Although the Olympics were canceled during World War I and II, this is the first time the Games have been postponed.
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