20 May 2022 - The International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Tokyo 2020 Coordination Commission Chair, John Coates, presented the Commission’s final report to the IOC Session today, declaring: "Tokyo 2020 highlighted the global impact, importance and meaning of the Games,” during which “we witnessed breath-taking sports action, unforgettable camaraderie and courage.”
The detailed report analyses how these Games were delivered during a global pandemic. Summarising their impact, the report states:
The Tokyo 2020 Games were vibrant demonstrations of the Olympic values, reinforcing everything the [Olympic] Movement stands for. They provided the opportunity for the world to unite in all its diversity, finding strength and solidarity in the darkest of times.John Coates, Tokyo 2020 Coordination Commission Chair
An overview of key achievements, examples of positive impact and an outline of the legacies of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 are all included in the report. Some of the highlights are as follows:
Sport and athletes
The Tokyo 2020 Games were the most gender balanced to date: 48 per cent of the 11,259 athletes were female. The Games also saw 836 Olympic Solidarity scholarship-holders compete in 12 sports, winning 27 gold, 32 silver and 42 bronze medals, plus 164 diplomas, while 29 refugee athletes participated in 12 sports. More urban and youthful sports and disciplines – including baseball, surfing, skateboarding and BMX freestyle – complemented the sports programme, helping engage new audiences across the world.
COVID-19 management
The comprehensive COVID-19 management plan put in place ensured the safety of participants and the local population. The positivity rate amongst participants was only 0.02 per cent during the Games; no Olympic events were cancelled due to COVID-19; and studies revealed that there was no transmission to the local community. The combination of vaccinations, guidance from various experts including the Japanese authorities and World Health Organization (WHO), COVID-19 countermeasures detailed in stakeholder-specific Playbooks, compliance with rules by stakeholders, and several other initiatives contributed to the delivery of safe and successful Games.
Simplification and optimisations
The spirit of collaboration and partnership during the planning and delivery of the Tokyo 2020 Games helped to: save USD 2.2 billion from the budget through the venue masterplan review; identify USD 2.1 billion in savings through the application of Olympic Agenda 2020+5 and the New Norm; and achieve an additional USD 280 million in optimisations and simplifications following the postponement.
Engagement
Tokyo 2020 was the most engaged Olympic Games ever, with over 3.05 billion unique viewers across linear TV and digital channels. In addition, Olympic broadcast partners’ digital platforms saw their videos viewed more than 28 billion times. Some 6.1 billion engagements were also generated from the IOC-owned and operated social media handles, whilst the Olympic web and app attracted 196 million unique users.
Sustainability
Sustainability was integrated into all aspects of the Games preparations. Eighty-one per cent of venues used were existing or temporary, significantly reducing the carbon footprint. Other projects included the creation of 5,000 medals made entirely of recycled materials, victory ceremony podiums created from recycled plastic, and using hydrogen as a fuel source for the Olympic cauldron, Olympic torch, Games vehicles and the Olympic Village. In addition, over 150,000 initiatives were put in place to showcase sustainability.
Legacy
The Games have helped Tokyo residents lead healthier lifestyles through new and improved sports facilities, more green spaces and easier transport options. Surveys conducted with the local population found that Tokyo residents’ participation in sport increased from 39.2 per cent in 2007 to 69 per cent in 2021. In addition, over 1 million Japanese students participated in Olympic and Paralympic education programmes in the lead-up to the Games.
The report also identified key learnings from the organisation and delivery of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020. These helped the IOC develop nine measures that will provide the overarching direction for the work required to deliver future Games.
The nine measures have been split into three areas:
- Organisation
1 - Refine the role of the Coordination Commission to best support Organising Committees and stakeholders.
2 - Build a bespoke Games plan to establish roles, responsibilities and a roadmap to deliver the vision and objectives for each Games edition.
3 - Establish a Games Optimisation Group.
4 - Further increase cooperation between the IOC and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to better support delivery of the Games.
5 - Organising Committees and the IOC to shift earlier to operational mode.
- Solutions
6 - Explore and invest in reusable solutions to support efficient delivery and offer value to Organising Committees across multiple Games editions.
7 - Use data to “right-size” Games delivery and improve the experience.
- Engagement
8 - Continuously develop the Games experience – physical and digital – to meet the changing interests and behaviours of stakeholders and audiences.
9 - Increase dialogue in the lead-up to, during and after the Games to better understand and engage with local communities.
These measures take into consideration the views and experience of the Tokyo 2020 Coordination Commission, the IOC administration and the Olympic Movement at large. They are also influenced by the work and collaboration with upcoming hosts and various delivery partners.
The IOC will now develop, in close collaboration with the stakeholders, a detailed implementation plan that will be used to communicate, encourage and track the progress of these measures.
As part of this process, the IOC will explore the adoption of these measures with the Organising Committees of the upcoming Olympic Games, with the goal of enhancing the Games experience in more sustainable ways, increasing the focus on impact and legacy, and delivering additional opportunities on a Games-byGames basis.
