The outline of operations for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics has been finalized, with a record number of events to be contested during the games. While the organizing committee must carefully proceed with preparations for the global sports extravaganza, it also needs to maintain a watchful eye on expenses and keep on the alert for potential savings. Because the International Olympic Committee emphasizes the need to keep the games financially sustainable, it is all the more important for Tokyo organizers to make serious efforts to further trim the budget for the 2020 version, now set at some ¥600 billion.

During the Tokyo Games, 339 events in 33 sports will be contested — 33 events and five sports more than in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. In accordance with the organizer's request, five sports — baseball and softball, karate, skateboarding, sports climbing and surfing — and 18 events will be contested in the 2020 Games only. In addition, 15 more events will be added at the behest of the IOC, which considered requests from various international sports organizations — such as three-player basketball, a mixed-gender team judo competition and a mixed-gender triathlon relay. Athletes from more than 200 countries and regions will be competing for 339 gold medals — more than double the 164 events contested by athletes from 93 countries and regions when Tokyo last staged the Olympics in 1964.

The organizing committee's budget covers spending on transportation for athletes and officials, information systems, temporary facilities at the event venues, the opening and closing ceremonies, and operating the athletes' village. It does not include such expenses as construction of new stadiums and security measures, which will be borne by the host city and national government. The budget of ¥600 billion (roughly $5.3 billion) for the Tokyo Games is the largest ever.