SYDNEY (AP) — Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates has predicted that next year’s coronavirus-delayed Tokyo Games “may ultimately be amongst the great games ever, if not the greatest.” The Sydney-born Coates, who oversees planning for the Tokyo Olympics for the International Olympic Committee, told the AOC’s annual general meeting on Saturday that he would […]

The President of the Australian Olympic Committee John Coates says South-East Queensland will not win the right to host the 2032 Olympics unless the Gold Coast is involved.

The Tokyo Olympics was postponed for a year to 2021 in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.

AOC chief John Coates says history suggests the Tokyo Olympics could provide a special way for the world to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic.

Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates has predicted that next year's coronavirus-delayed Tokyo Games may ultimately be amongst the great games ever, if not the greatest. The Sydney-born Coates, who oversees planning for the Tokyo Olympics for the International Olympic Committee, told the AOC's annual general meeting on Saturday that he would put aside any of his parochialism while hoping that Tokyo would supplant Sydney as the best ever. At the closing ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Games, then IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch described the Australian event as the best Olympic Games ever during the closing ceremony. The best-ever"claims for Tokyo by Coates, who did not go into further details, come despite spiraling costs for the Japan games, which will now begin on June 23, 2021. Japan is officially spending $12.6 billion to organize the Olympics, but a government audit report last year said it was at least twice that much. It's all public money except for $5.6 billion .

The Tokyo Olympics was postponed for a year to 2021 in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.