In a telephonic poll conducted by Kyodo News and Tokyo MX television between June 26-28, 51.7 % of the 1,030 respondents hoped the 2021 Games are postponed again or cancelled while 46.3 % want the rescheduled Olympics to go ahead.
With a week left for the Tokyo governor’s election amid a raging debate over the billions being spent on the postponed Olympics, more than half the Japanese capital’s residents polled feel the Games should not be held next year.
In a telephonic poll conducted by Kyodo News and Tokyo MX television between June 26-28, 51.7 % of the 1,030 respondents hoped the 2021 Games are postponed again or cancelled while 46.3 % want the rescheduled Olympics to go ahead.
Among those opposed to the Games, 27.7 % wanted them cancelled while 24.0 percent were for another postponement. Of those who wanted the Games to be held next year, 31.1 % were for a scaled-back version, without spectators, while 15.2 % were for a full-fledged Olympics.
Though the sample size is miniscule in a city of more than 38 million people, this is not the first time the hosting of the Olympics in 2021 amid the covid-19 pandemic has been questioned.
Tokyo 2020 was postponed in March as the coronavirus spread across the globe, causing the worst disruption to the Olympics since two editions were cancelled during World War II. The Games are now scheduled from July 23, 2021, though they will still be known as Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Officials from Japan and the International Olympic Committee have warned it will not be possible to postpone again and that even the year-long delay has caused significant financial and logistical headaches.
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