Tokyo Olympics Event Planning Case Study: Preparation Experience for Large-Scale International Events

Introduction

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics (actually held in 2021) provided valuable experience and lessons for organizing large-scale international events. This event faced unprecedented challenges, including postponement due to the global pandemic, budget increases, and COVID-19 prevention measures, offering important reference cases for future large-scale event planning.

Major Challenges and Response Strategies

1. Pandemic Response and Event Postponement

The Tokyo Olympics was postponed for one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, becoming the first Olympics in history to be postponed for non-war reasons. This decision brought enormous financial and organizational challenges. The postponement resulted in additional costs of $2.8 billion, mainly from renegotiating contracts and implementing COVID-19 prevention measures . The International Olympic Committee committed to contributing $800 million to help cover postponement-related costs.

The total event cost ultimately reached $15.4 billion, a 22% increase from the original budget, with $2.8 billion being additional expenses generated by the postponement . This experience demonstrates that large-scale events must establish flexible contingency plans and adequate financial buffers.

2. Venue Planning and Infrastructure Development

Tokyo 2020's venue master plan aimed to accelerate Tokyo's transformation into a safe, inclusive, and smart city. The planning was divided into two major sections: the Heritage Zone and Tokyo Bay Zone, preserving historical and cultural values while promoting modernization.

Venue design focused on sustainable development and subsequent utilization, ensuring Olympic legacy could benefit citizens long-term. This forward-looking planning provides important reference for other cities, showing that large-scale event venue construction should align with cities' long-term development goals.

3. Human Resource Management and Volunteer Strategy

Tokyo Olympics' volunteer management strategy included three core components: recruitment, training, and management. Organizers developed a comprehensive volunteer strategy that integrated the management systems of Field Cast (Games volunteers) and City Cast (city volunteers).

Key steps in volunteer management included: clear role definition, professional training provision, effective communication mechanism establishment, and support network creation. This management model provides a replicable framework for human resource allocation in large-scale events.

4. Legacy Planning and Sustainable Development

Tokyo established nine-themed legacy planning aimed at comprehensively solving local social problems through hosting the Olympics, including promoting social inclusion, environmental sustainability, and technological innovation . This comprehensive legacy planning demonstrated Tokyo's determination to use the Olympic opportunity to promote comprehensive urban development.

Key Lessons Learned

1. Importance of Risk Management

The pandemic postponement event highlighted the necessity of establishing comprehensive risk management mechanisms. Future large-scale events should develop multiple contingency plans, including various possible scenarios such as health crises, natural disasters, and political risks.

2. Flexibility in Financial Planning

Budget overrun issues reflected the complexity of financial planning for large-scale projects. Organizers should establish more accurate cost estimation models and reserve adequate emergency funds.