Exclusive: Frustrated by delays, Tokyo 2020 sponsors cancel booths, parties -sources

A woman wearing a protective mask, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, is reflected on a metal bar on an advertisement for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, July 7, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Olympics sponsors are cancelling or scaling back booths and promotional events tied to the Tokyo 2020 Games, frustrated by "very last minute" decisions by organisers and a delay on whether spectators would be allowed, sources told Reuters.

The moves by more than a dozen companies, including Canon, Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance and Ajinomoto, highlight the delicate situation for sponsors, who have tied themselves to a Games now hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and public opposition.