The coronavirus is single-handedly shutting down sports all around the world. We have seen major sports leagues like the NBA, MLB, NHL, and others postpone their seasons due to the outbreak and threats of outbreak.

But there is one single sporting event that is the pinnacle of competition and it is the Olympics. In particular, the Summer Olympics, which are currently scheduled to take place in Tokyo this summer beginning in late July.

A lot of people are wondering what is going to happen to the Olympics. Frankly, right now we don’t know for sure but there are a few different scenarios that could play out. Here’s the latest update on the 2020 Olympics.

Cancel the games?

The Olympic games could be canceled altogether.

This would be a major blow and something that is unprecedented outside of times of war. I don’t think anybody wants to see the games canceled and cancellation would involve the loss of billions of dollars.

According to Reuters, Japan has spent $9.81 billion on the games beginning back in 2013 through 2018. That’s not even factoring in all of the funds from sponsors, insurers, and broadcasters.

When you think about the infrastructure projects like new transportation networks, hotels, and venues, it’s clear we are talking billions and billions of dollars that could potentially be sunk costs.

In the event of a cancellation, some costs could be saved such as the massive security costs that wouldn’t be needed but in the end there would be a substantial loss overall if the games were completely canceled.

Postpone the games?

Another scenario is that the Olympic Games could simply be postponed, perhaps by a couple of months.  Postponing the games a couple of months could involve a lot of logistical gymnastics (no pun intended). From a broadcasting perspective, this is a nightmare given the NFL’s season that will be starting and the European soccer season.

Games without spectators?

The third scenario is to have the Olympic games but do not allow crowds.

Basically, all of the events would be televised and so the games would go on and a lot of money would still be spent by advertisers and sponsors.

This would give the athletes a chance to compete which is what the games is all about.

Remember, if they cancel the games that will not allow many athletes to have their final chance at competing and force some athletes to lose out on performing in their prime.

But there is no denying that there would be something major missing.

For example, finals in track meets can be electric during the Olympics and a 100m dash final with nobody in the stands just simply would not feel the same.

On March 12, they had the Olympic torch ceremony in ancient Olympia without spectators due to the coronavirus concerns so they seem to already be entertaining this approach on some level.

Another thing about not bringing spectators along is that the hospitality and ticket sales industry will suffer in a huge way. Remember, those Olympic prices are not cheap.

And finally, putting on the games without spectators would still involve a lot of people mingling in places together and would undoubtedly put athletes and staff at risk. I’m not even sure you could have the Olympic Village based on things that I have heard.

The current update

So far, Japan’s Olympics minister has dismissed any suggestions that the Tokyo 2020 games should be postponed. Reportedly neither the local organizing committees or the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has considered postponing the games (or even canceling them).

Also, it is reportedly not an option to hold the games in a different country.

Japan has had a relatively mild experience with the coronavirus compared to the US, especially considering it’s close proximity to China.

However, last week the country did experience a quick uptick in coronavirus cases and had its biggest single day jump since the outbreak began. Also, Japan has experienced scrutiny over its lack of testing similar to what the US has experienced.

So it’s not exactly a safe haven. 

Right now, the plan is to continue on and have the games start when they were scheduled to begin on July 24, 2020. Some experts are hoping that the warmer weather will help to slow down the spread of the virus though many experts claim that this is far from a sure thing.

The international Olympic Committee has said that a decision on what to do with the games could be made as late as May of this year so we could still be another month or two away from a decision.

That has got to be difficult for all of the world class athletes training for the games since optimal performance at events like this is often about timing your peak performance and not having a definite performance date could be detrimental.

We will see how it develops. It’s going to be a tough call.

Hat tip: CNN