Status of 2021 Tokyo Olympics
by Steve McGill
When the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were postponed to 2021, we all assumed that everything would be fine by then and that the pandemic would either be a distant memory or in the process of fading into the past. But in most parts of the world, including Japan, the virus rages on, or at least continues on. While vaccinations have helped reduce the numbers of new cases in certain parts of the world, they haven’t proven to be an end-all solution. With the Olympic Games being a world-wide event, there is still much doubt among many government officials, Olympic officials, athletes, staff members, coaches, etc. that holding the Games is a good idea. Nevertheless, the plan is for the Games to go on, with lots and lots of protocols in place, and no spectators from foreign countries.
[am4show not_have=’g5;’]
[/am4show][am4guest]
[/am4guest][am4show have=’g5;’]
On Sunday May 9, a “test event” took place at Olympic Stadium that involved 420 athletes, some of whom came from outside the country. One of those was American sprinter Justin Gatlin, who won the 100 meter dash. Gatlin was satisfied with the protocols and felt that the event served as a precursor to how the 2021 version of the Games would take place, allowing for a bubble for the athletes that would keep them and the citizens of Japan healthy. The plan for the Games is to test the athletes daily and to have them eat all of their meals in their hotel room. In terms of the test event itself, Gatlin deemed it a success. (Gatlin wins…)
Like Gatlin, most athletes want to compete. Some desperately want to compete. But they are also aware of the risks. Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka, a native of Japan, is among those who are feeling torn. On one hand, she said, “I’m an athlete and that’s sort of what I’ve been waiting for my entire life.” But on the other hand, she said, “I’m just an athlete and there’s a whole pandemic going on.” (Osaka Conflicted…) Osaka is fully vaccinated, and Tokyo officials feel that getting as many athletes vaccinated as possible will help to ensure safety for all. The International Olympic Committee recently announced that both Pfizer and BioNTech would donate vaccine doses to inoculate athletes and officials. (Osaka Conflicted…)
A reason that there is so much concern has to do with conditions in Japan itself. An article that appeared in the May 3rd edition of The Guardian stated that the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in Japan recently surpassed 10,000, and that the number of people with severe symptoms reached a record of 1,050. (Japan Nurses…) Despite these numbers, organizers of the Tokyo Olympics have asked 500 nurses to volunteer at the Games, which would mean 500 less nurses to tend to patients. Medical staff definitely feel that their time would be better spent tending to patients, especially as cases are surging and hospitals are running out of beds and people with symptoms are being forced to wait hours in ambulances before being admitted. (Japan Nurses…) Olympic officials are saying that they will need 10,000 medical workers for the Games, which is of course appropriate, but also seems to be an unrealistic number if it means pulling staff away from patients who are in dire need of care. The nurses themselves are incensed; one of them stated bluntly that the decisions being made reflect “how human life is being taken lightly.” (Japan Nurses…)
Count World Athletics President Sebastian Coe among those who are in favor of moving full speed ahead with the Games. Coe argues that the Olympics are much more than just a sporting event, but an event that unites the world. For that reason alone, he says, it is worth going forward with the Games. “I can’t think of any other activity,” he said, “which has the ability to pull communities in amid differences of ethnicity, belief or geography, bounding together in the way that a major sporting event can. I’ve seen it the whole of my life and I will go to my grave knowing that that has a profound impact.” (Sebastian Coe…) Coe also feels that the willingness of athletes to adapt to safety protocols should not be taken lightly, and that their desire to fulfill their dreams is also a major consideration. Though a state of emergency has been declared in Japan until the end of May, Coe has no reservations that the situation will endanger athletes, as he feels the protocols that will be in place will be effective. But he is under no illusion that the Tokyo Games will be similar to any previous Olympic experience, and he says that the athletes he has spoken to are fully aware that a stripped down Olympic experience is what they should expect, but that a stripped down Olympics is better than no Olympics at all. “They would rather be here than sit out the dance,” he said. “It’s important for them.” (Sebastian Coe…)
Financially, corporate sponsors, television networks, and the governing bodies of the various Olympic sports, as well as the IOC, have the most to lose if the Games were cancelled altogether, so it’s no surprise that such entities want the Games to be held. In the United States, the NBA is squeezing a 72-game season into a four-month window for financial reasons more than anything else, even as there have been players who have tested positive, missed time due to contact tracing, or fell victim to injury due to the high volume of games in such a short amount of time. Similarly the NCAA marched forward with march madness. So I would argue that it is a bit disingenuous of Coe to focus on the athletes’ desire to compete, as it is clear that his organization would suffer a huge financial hit if there were no Games this year. That’s not to say that financial considerations shouldn’t be factored in any decisions to hold the Games or not, but it can be disheartening to see how financial considerations are always at the forefront of such decisions.
For me personally, as a track fan, I’d rather just have a World Championships this year, since this would be a World Championship year if not for the postponement of the Games. If each sport held its own World Championships, there would still be the highest level of competition, and we wouldn’t have to worry about an ocean of foreigners converging on a single site. But I understand the sanctity of the Olympic Games as a unique, incomparable event, and that it is still considered the pinnacle of competitive events in amateur sports. So if it can be done safely, and if it doesn’t mean sacrificing medical care for citizens in Japan, then, by all means, let’s have a stripped down Games.
Sources:
1. https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/tokyos-olympic-stadium-holds-track-field-test-event-minus-fans-2021-05-09/
2. https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/31416008/naomi-osaka-conflicted-holding-tokyo-olympics
3. http://aroundtherings.com/site/A__103402/Title__Sebastian-Coe-praises-athletes-resolve-for-Tokyo-Olympic-Games-in-2021/292/Articles
[/am4show]
