Should IOC think of relocating 2021 Olympic and Paralympic Games from Tokyo? Florida authorities propose idea

Florida chief financial officer Jimmy Patronis has sent a letter to International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach proposing to relocate the 2021 Olympic and Paralympic Games from Japan to the United States.

Last week, Japanese news agency Kyodo reported, citing sources, that the government was mulling holding the Tokyo Olympics with few or no spectators due to coronavirus-related considerations.

"With media reports of leaders in Japan 'privately' concluding that they are too concerned about the pandemic for the 2021 Olympics to take place, there is still time to deploy a site selection team to Florida to meet with statewide and local officials on holding the Olympics in the Sunshine State," the letter read, as quoted by local broadcaster WPTV.

Among other reasons, Patronis cited the fact that Florida continued to successfully host sporting competitions throughout the pandemic, including UFC, NBA and NFL matches.

Amid reports on the possible abridgement of the Tokyo Olympics, The Times reported late last week that the Japanese government already decided to cancel the 2021 games altogether and host the 2032 edition instead. The OIC and the International Paralympic Committee later refuted the report in a joint statement.

The 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games were initially scheduled to take place in Tokyo last summer but ended up postponed for one year due to COVID-19.