# What happens if Japan cancels the Olympics? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** olympic-sports-track\ **Created:** [May 27, 2021, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-japan-cancels-the-olympics/943038 "2021-05-27T14:24:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2021, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-japan-cancels-the-olympics/943038/41 "2021-05-27T23:16:01Z")
This whole thing has the same vibe as publicly funded sports franchise stadiums. If the Olympics are mostly going to be a big business with lucrative television rights that’s fine, but let the IOC run it that way: they (or private investors or creditors) put up the money to build all the required infrastructure and reap the rewards of holding the games. If the stadiums really are viable as long term post-games enterprises then they’ll have no trouble selling them afterwards for a good price. If they’re not, well, they get to decide if it’s still worth it based on the Olympic income. Or move to a cheaper model (renting existing facilities, more flexibility about multi-country locations for more specialized facilities, etc.). I hope that we get past the “cities committing financial suicide for the prestige” model. It seems like that’s happening more which is good. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2021, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-japan-cancels-the-olympics/943038/42 "2021-05-27T23:37:25Z")
So what has changed in recent years to cause this? I don’t recall Lake Placid, Los Angeles, or Atlanta taking a bath or having decaying venues because they hosted the Olympics. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2021, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-japan-cancels-the-olympics/943038/43 "2021-05-28T00:08:34Z")
The most recent of those was 25 years ago, and costs have exploded since. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2021, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-japan-cancels-the-olympics/943038/44 "2021-05-28T02:41:50Z")
Lake Placid went way over budget and lost about 10 million: > **[WINTER OLYMPICS ENDING ITS DEFICIT IN LAKE PLACID (Published 1981)](https://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/26/nyregion/winter-olympics-ending-its-deficit-in-lake-placid.html)** ---
**Author:** ![Didi44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Didi44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Didi44)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2021, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-japan-cancels-the-olympics/943038/45 "2021-05-28T03:36:05Z")
The State may have lost money, but billions of dollars were made in the by private businesses in the State and around the world. ---
**Author:** ![Didi44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Didi44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Didi44)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2021, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-japan-cancels-the-olympics/943038/46 "2021-05-28T03:44:09Z")
10 million? Pssh…Billions lost in other countries! [https://www.thestreet.com/lifestyle/these-are-the-10-most-worthless-and-expensive-olympic-venues-of-all-time-html](https://www.thestreet.com/lifestyle/these-are-the-10-most-worthless-and-expensive-olympic-venues-of-all-time-html) Why do countries want to host the Olympics? As I stated above, there’s a lot of political and economic back deals going on behind the scenes. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2021, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-japan-cancels-the-olympics/943038/47 "2021-05-28T03:47:24Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Los Angeles sounds like it might work. With two months prep time coming down from a pandemic? Newsom and the CA legislature would almost certainly say no, probably with the near-unanimous backing of Angelenos. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2021, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-japan-cancels-the-olympics/943038/48 "2021-05-28T03:57:08Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Maintaining a Velodrome is very expensive, and there is very little commercial demand gor an Olympic level Velodrome in most places. I found the location of twelve 250m velodromes (the Olympic regulation size) with a minute of googling: Ashgabat Velodrome - Ashgabat, Turkmenistan Ballerup Super Arena - Ballerup, Denmark BGZ Arena - Pruszkow, Poland Hong Kong Velodrome - Hong Kong, China Lee Valley VeloPark - London, UK Melbourne Park Multi-Purpose Venue - Melbourne, Australia Minsk-Arena - Minsk, Belarus Omnisport Apeldoorn - Apeldoorn, Netyherlands Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome - Glasgow, UK Velodrom - Berlin, Germany Velodrome de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines - Montigny-le-Bretonneux, France Velodromo Alcides Nieto Patino - Cali, Colombia In fact, the Velodrome de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines is scheduled to be the site of the 2024 Olympic cycling events. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2021, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-japan-cancels-the-olympics/943038/49 "2021-05-28T04:30:10Z")
I don’t get why postponing to summer 2022 (but still in Tokyo) isn’t the most touted option right now. It kills the most birds with one stone. Japan still gets to have its Olympics. The IOC still gets it too. The venues are already all there, and Tokyo is currently still the world’s most Olympic-ready city. The winter and summer Olympics used to be held in the same year so it’s not that weird. With 1 more year, the pandemic would probably be fully under control by then. What’s not to like? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2021, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-japan-cancels-the-olympics/943038/50 "2021-05-28T11:02:24Z")
[Moderating] Moved from GQ to the Game Room. ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2021, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-japan-cancels-the-olympics/943038/51 "2021-05-28T11:31:10Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > > [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > > > Maintaining a Velodrome is very expensive, and there is very little commercial demand gor an Olympic level Velodrome in most places. > > I found the location of twelve 250m velodromes (the Olympic regulation size) with a minute of googling: > > Ashgabat Velodrome - Ashgabat, Turkmenistan > Ballerup Super Arena - Ballerup, Denmark > BGZ Arena - Pruszkow, Poland > Hong Kong Velodrome - Hong Kong, China > Lee Valley VeloPark - London, UK > Melbourne Park Multi-Purpose Venue - Melbourne, Australia > Minsk-Arena - Minsk, Belarus > Omnisport Apeldoorn - Apeldoorn, Netyherlands > Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome - Glasgow, UK > Velodrom - Berlin, Germany > Velodrome de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines - Montigny-le-Bretonneux, France > Velodromo Alcides Nieto Patino - Cali, Colombia > > In fact, the Velodrome de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines is scheduled to be the site of the 2024 Olympic cycling events. Montreal’s Velodrome was converted to a very successful “Biodome” (science/ecosystem museum) in 1992. It was rarely used after the 1976 Olympics. With the loss of the Expos baseball team, Montreal’s Olympic stadium has been little used - mostly for shows and exhibitions, and the occasional event to which 50k spectators are expected to attend. All the other 1976 Olympic venues are well used. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2021, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-japan-cancels-the-olympics/943038/52 "2021-05-28T12:20:41Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > Surfing would definitely be a problem, and soccer likely so. Between the facilities at UNLV, the new stadium the Raiders just had built, and a few other local facilities, however, I think they could manage all the other events. The marathon might not be the most pleasant experience, but it could be done. At least it would be a dry heat 🤪. Or they could just hold the marathons at night. That’s what the IAAF did in 2019, when they staged the championships in Doha, Qatar; the races started at 11:59 p.m. For that matter, the annual Rock ‘N’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon always begins around 9:00 p.m. or so. “Run the Strip at Night” is part of the race’s marketing strategy. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2021, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-japan-cancels-the-olympics/943038/53 "2021-05-28T12:55:10Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Actually, we should do the opposite. Make the Olympics global, and hold different events in different countries, but coordinate them and broadcast them as one event This is actually really clever. It’s not like similar situations haven’t happened before. Even when it’s single host, some events are often really, really far apart. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2021, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-japan-cancels-the-olympics/943038/54 "2021-05-28T12:55:15Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I just googled this (yes, the internet has everything). There’s two regulation fifty-meter pools near me; one at a college and one at a high school. A lot of the colleges and high schools have 50 meter long pools, but only 25 yards across so not big enough. Plus they would need to be two meters deep, which a lot of pools have a shallower end. They’d also need a warm up pool there as well. Pools are actually kind of easy now. They can build a pool in a week or so. If they wanted to move locations there’s no reason they couldn’t go to Omaha where the trials are being held. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2021, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-japan-cancels-the-olympics/943038/55 "2021-05-28T15:52:44Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > Or they could just hold the marathons at night. That’s what the IAAF did in 2019, when they staged the championships in Doha, Qatar; the races started at 11:59 p.m. > > For that matter, the annual Rock ‘N’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon always begins around 9:00 p.m. or so. “Run the Strip at Night” is part of the race’s marketing strategy. A. short race on a track is one thing, but a marathon at night? How do they keep the whole course lit well enough for the competitors to see? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2021, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-japan-cancels-the-olympics/943038/56 "2021-05-28T16:08:41Z")
This is the Las Vegas Strip we’re talking about, right? There’s plenty of lighting. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2021, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-japan-cancels-the-olympics/943038/57 "2021-05-28T18:21:21Z")
In Qatar, the marathon course was a 7 kilometer loop around a roadway called the Doha Corniche, which runs along the waterfront. In addition to the regular street lighting, the IAAF floodlit the whole course. The Las Vegas Marathon is an out-and-back course that begins and ends on the Strip, which, as @Dewey_Finn pointed out, has plenty of light. When it leaves the Strip, normal streets lighting suffices. ---
**Author:** ![TheGunIsMightierThanThePen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thegunismightierthanthepen/32/2981_2.png) [@TheGunIsMightierThanThePen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheGunIsMightierThanThePen)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2021, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-japan-cancels-the-olympics/943038/58 "2021-05-28T21:22:20Z")
The biggest reason, IMO, would be what **Cervaise** stated in [this thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-japan-olympic-games-do-we-really-need-to-have-them-this-summer/940061/2): > [@](#): > > The most compelling argument is that last minute schedule changes are disruptive and potentially dangerous for athletic training regimes. The best-in-the-world class of athlete competing in the Olympics is likely engaged in a multi-year program that is carefully and specifically designed to peak with their appearance in these particular games. If you introduce a one-year delay at this point (after already having delayed once), they have to rejigger their practice routine accordingly, which will impact their performance and possibly increase the risk of injury. Some will choose not to participate, or will be entirely unable, especially if they’re privately or sponsor funded and can’t manage yet another year of maintenance training. And so on. > > The point is, these are not just casual games played by the duffers in the corporate softball club that you can easily shift from one weekend to another. Major schedule changes will have major consequences for athlete participation and performance. Another reason, as I mentioned in that thread above, is that it would mess up the schedules of the 2022 world championships for all of the Olympics’ constituent sports. Lastly, the condos in the Olympic Village were sold to an assorted group of buyers who were supposed to move in after the Olympics were finished, but due to the postponement, they haven’t been able to move in as planned for almost a year now. I don’t know how much political pull they have, but I can’t imagine they’d be too happy if the government postponed it once more. [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-olympics-2020-condo/buyers-of-olympic-village-condos-left-out-in-the-cold-after-delayed-games-idUSKBN2B203O](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-olympics-2020-condo/buyers-of-olympic-village-condos-left-out-in-the-cold-after-delayed-games-idUSKBN2B203O) ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2021, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-japan-cancels-the-olympics/943038/59 "2021-05-28T22:13:15Z")
Sure, but in the bigger picture, those seem to be pretty minor inconveniences in comparison to the much bigger and urgent crisis of the still-raging pandemic and enormous logistical difficulties of asking another city to host on short notice (and there currently is just about NO safe city, virus-wise, in the world right now anyway,) and the massive loss of face and revenue by canceling outright. ---
**Author:** ![stuccosuperstar2020](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@stuccosuperstar2020](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuccosuperstar2020)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-japan-cancels-the-olympics/943038/60 "2021-05-30T08:40:51Z")
I have suggested before that the IOC work with Japan to move the Olympics a few months back or award them another Olympiad, but apparently the IOC already has their money and it’s either now or nothing. I call upon countries to boycott these Olympics and future ones until the IOC makes it right to Japan should they make the responsible decision to push them off until safe. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-japan-cancels-the-olympics/943038.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-japan-cancels-the-olympics/943038.md?page=4)