Uniforms for about 28,000 volunteers at the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in the summer remain unused, a recent Kyodo News survey found, after many pulled out over scheduling conflicts due to the one-year postponement of the games and fears over the COVID-19 pandemic.
Municipalities surveyed are now struggling to find ways to put the 2020 Tokyo Games items, purchased with taxpayer money, to good use. More than ¥1.7 billion was spent in procuring the uniforms, with Japan preparing for at least 48,000 volunteers.
The survey found that 11 municipalities, including Tokyo and nearby Chiba and Saitama prefectures, had the same problem with the unused uniforms, with Tokyo having the largest number.