Tokyo Olympics: Sponsor Toyota Says No Olympic Ads During Games | Olympics News
Tokyo 2020 sponsor Toyota won’t run any Olympic TV ads during the Games or send executives to the opening ceremony, an official told AFP on Monday, as the coronavirus-hit event struggles for public support. The world’s biggest automaker is a major sponsor of Tokyo 2020, which has faced persistent opposition in Japan and will take place mostly without spectators as Covid-19 cases rise in the capital. “Toyota officials will not attend the opening ceremony, and the chief reason behind it is there will be no spectators,” Toyota spokeswoman Shiori Hashimoto told AFP.
Fewer than 1,000 Olympic officials and VIPs including sponsors will be allowed to watch the opening ceremony on Friday, according to Japanese media.
Hashimoto denied reports by multiple local media outlets that Toyota had cancelled plans to air TV adverts related to the Olympics in Japan, however.
“There was never a plan to air Olympics-related commercials for promotional purposes in Japan in the first place,” she said.
Around 60 Japanese companies have ploughed a record $3.3 billion into Tokyo 2020, while top sponsors like Toyota account for $500 million more.
