Yoshiro Mori (L), President of the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee, speaks during a meeting in Tokyo, Japan, on Dec. 22, 2020. (Photo: Reuters-Yonhap News)
[Anchor]
The organizers of next year's delayed Tokyo Olympics say they have started from scratch in their planning for the opening and closing ceremonies because of the coronavirus pandemic.
They said there had been an urgent need to simplify the event in a short time.
The BBC's Will Leonardo reports.
[Reporter]
The Olympic ceremonies were set to be glittering spectacle showcasing what organizers described as the Japanese spirit to the world.
But the events, normally watched by hundreds of millions globally, are now being scaled back.
At a news conference in the Japanese capital, the Tokyo 2020 chief Toshiro Muto said the seven-member creative team in charge of the ceremonies since 2018 would be disbanded.
Instead, the creative director for the Paralympics ceremony, Hiroshi Sasaki, will take the lead for the now slimmed down events.
Mr. Sasaki acknowledged that public opinion in Japan was growing increasingly hostile to the Olympics as costs soar.
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