Rescheduling the Olympic and Paralympic Games next year will incur costs that will "probably be massive", according to Tokyo 2020 organisers.
The leading figures on the organising committee, president Yoshiro Mori and chief executive Toshiro Muto, left no doubt that the task of reorganising the biggest sporting event on Earth was going to be a challenge on an unprecedented scale.
The Games – which had been due to start on July 24 – have been delayed until 2021 as a result of the accelerating coronavirus pandemic and the task force which must find new dates for the Games met for the first time on Thursday.
Joint Statement from the International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committeehttps://t.co/XNcaa4Gvx8 — Olympics (@Olympics) March 24, 2020
"We need to secure the facilities. Not only the venues but the athletes' village, training sites and what not," Muto said.
"We need to assess whether they will be available when we need them next year. There will be additional costs that come with this – and we expect it will probably be massive.
"We are dealing with the postponement of the Games, which has never happened in history. The task is daunting."
England head coach Eddie Jones will be asked to emulate the Rugby Football
Union's executive team by taking a pay cut in excess of 25 per cent.
The RFU is facing revenue losses in the region of £45-50million over the next
18 months as a result of the disruption to income streams caused by Covid-19.
Discussions are being held with Jones and his coaching assistants over a
reduction in salary, the PA news agency understands.
The International Cricket Council has opened up its vault of memorable matches in a bid to help broadcasters and fans fill the current void left by the crisis.
With fixtures across the globe scrubbed from a usually packed calendar due to
the pandemic, the world governing body has stepped in to make some old
favourites from its archives available.
ICC chief executive Manu Sawhney said: "With no live cricket to unite our fans around the world we thought the next best thing would be to release our archive to broadcast partners so fans can enjoy some magnificent memories."
We are pleased to confirm that as of yesterday evening, all team personnel who were in self-isolation in Melbourne, as well as management who had stayed with them, have now safely returned home. Thanks once again on behalf of the team for all the support and well wishes. 🧡 pic.twitter.com/P7V8H9seJj — McLaren (@McLarenF1) March 26, 2020
Formula One team McLaren have confirmed that all staff quarantined in Melbourne have returned home.
A meeting to discuss the financial impact of the pandemic-enforced suspension of action on professional football in England will take place on Friday, the PA news agency understands.
It is understood cost-cutting measures due to lost revenue are even being
considered at Premier League level.
In the Championship, Leeds confirmed on Thursday that their players, management and senior staff have volunteered to defer their wages for the foreseeable future so that all non-football staff can be paid during the sport's shutdown.
The Bundesliga's Champions League clubs have pledged 20 million euros (£18.3million) to support fellow German teams during the crisis.
Bayer 04 – together with @FCBayernEN, @RBLeipzig_EN, and @BVB – will establish a €20M fund to provide assistance to first and second division Bundesliga clubs. pic.twitter.com/2iEY6TuN1X — Bayer 04 Leverkusen (at 🏡) (@bayer04_en) March 26, 2020
Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen will forego their share of the national media revenue and donate the remainder from their own money, the clubs have announced.
The aim is to provide financial support to teams in the Bundesliga and the
second division, with the German Football League (DFL) to decide how the funds will be distributed.
Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti has written an open letter to fans urging them to "respect and protect" NHS workers by following the Government's coronavirus stay-at-home guidelines.
Burnley will continue to pay all casual staff while football is suspended, while Rotherham have furloughed a number of staff and closed down their day-to-day operations.
