2021 Tokyo Olympics ???

[Dokey]

Actually, there is almost no possibility that there will be spectators, or that there will be any foreign visitors not "part" of the Olympics.

Essentially, they are talking a "bubble" (huge) of Olympic competitors and staff. However, there is a valid concern that the virus could spread via Japanese "support" staff - the cooks, cleaners, folks running the mechanicals, etc. etc.

Its all about the money. That said, if it could be run in the way most generally outlined, I would not think it was horrible to hold the Olympics. If they think spectators are a good idea, don't have vaccine requirements for athletes, allow folks from all over the world to fly in and stay in hotels - well, then I do not support holding the Olympics.

It is true that foreign spectators are banned, 600,000 tickets are being refunded. The last word I saw left it unclear if or how many Japanese spectators will be allowed, though given the lack of vaccinations in Japan it looks to be empty stands. It costs a fortune to stage the Olympics. Will selling tv rights even come close to covering expenses?

 

[ed4ourgirls]

. . . Will selling tv rights even come close to covering expenses?

I don't know about that, but I do know that Japan has a signed contract with the IOC, and
if Japan were to unilaterally cancel the games they would be on the hook for a ton of money.

 

[Longtime fan]

As with many countries, vaccines are not as readily available in Japan yet, as they are in the US. Only 5% of the Japanese population has received at least 1 dose of a vaccine vs 50%+ in the US. This presents all kinds of issues just running the games, let alone allowing fans to attend.

Wonder why no one in the Japanese government thought of that? I mean, after they postponed the Olympics the first time, and all.

 

[Longtime fan]

What exactly is the 3X3 game? Each player gets a ball? Games are held in a swimming pool? Court is the size of a football field? Or, alternatively,played in a closet? Who thinks of these things? I would star and win a gold medal in a 1 X 0 game.

 

[bluedevil]

Lets see: athletes of say 130 countries converging in Tokyo and being exposed to all kinds of variants and then going back to 130 countries. What could possibly go wrong? Let the games begin.!

 

[Dokey]

New polls indicate 80% of Japanese think games should be cancelled or postponed. Would waiting until 2022 be the end of the world? Part of the Olympic message is to bring the world together. Foreign spectators are banned but there will still be 80,000 folks connected to teams from 120 countries posed to mingle with a 97% unvaccinated population. 10,000–that’s 1 in 8–volunteers have pulled out from support staff.

 

[eebmg]

FWIW, the trends seem to be going in the right direction in Japan

 

[oldude]

One of the concerns relative to the Tokyo Olympics is whether or not a country with barely 5% of its population vaccinated will be able to staff the thousands of positions necessary to run the Games. With 50 days to go until the Olympics, approximately 10,000 out of 80,000 volunteers have notified organizers they will not participate in the games. With strong sentiment in Japan against holding the Games, that number will very likely increase.

 

[Jbigfan]

One of the concerns relative to the Tokyo Olympics is whether or not a country with barely 5% of its population vaccinated will be able to staff the thousands of positions necessary to run the Games. With 50 days to go until the Olympics, approximately 10,000 out of 80,000 volunteers have notified organizers they will not participate in the games. With strong sentiment in Japan against holding the Games, that number will very likely increase.

Why hasn’t USA offered a few million vaccines to Japan & Olympic athletes & volunteers??? Would relieve much pressure on Japan holding olympics.

 

[Dokey]

Why hasn’t USA offered a few million vaccines to Japan & Olympic athletes & volunteers??? Would relieve much pressure on Japan holding olympics.

I thought about that but I believe that because Japan is a modern progressive country (which gambled it could produce its own vaccine and lost), the U.S. is starting with poorer countries, though it did send some to South Korea.

 

[oldude]

Why hasn’t USA offered a few million vaccines to Japan & Olympic athletes & volunteers??? Would relieve much pressure on Japan holding olympics.

Japan actually has access to tens of millions of doses of vaccine. Several issues have plagued their distribution. Japan’s regulatory approval process is complicated and cumbersome. The first vaccine was only approved for use in Japan this past February. Secondly, several supply chain challenges and disruptions delayed shipments of vaccine for many weeks. Thirdly, Japan’s rollout of a vaccination program was slow to ramp up and inconsistent.

If all that wasn’t enough, the Japanese people have a long history of vaccine hesitancy. In recent weeks, Japan has begun to accelerate their vaccination program. But with 125 million people and the 2nd oldest average population in the world, second only to Monaco, their vaccination priority has to be seniors and at risk individuals first.

 

[bluedevil]

10 thousand volunteers just quit. Do they know something?

 

[Dokey]

Why hasn’t USA offered a few million vaccines to Japan & Olympic athletes & volunteers??? Would relieve much pressure on Japan holding olympics.

Probably better to send vaccines to Syrian refugee camps. Sports, the Olympics, are great, but...

 

[Dublin]

The Australian softball team is the first team to arrive --- with restrictions:

Olympic teams arriving in Japan aren't even allowed to go outside for a walk

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[MooseJaw]

Chances are vaccinated Americans, including athletes, are safe. That isn’t the problem. That’s insular thinking. The problem is that few Japanese are and most of the spectators will be Japanese, increasing the chances of spreading it in that country. There is the added problem that visitors from other countries also might not be vaccinated and will return home carrying Covid with them. A gathering that represents virtually every country on earth—talk about a super spreader event—might not be the wisest move at this point.

If unvaccinated the Japanese people will be tested and or stay home. People from countries we not be allowed to attend the games. Your reasons therefore have little to no merit. I don't know if the games will be held, no one does for sure but there are enough real problems without throwing in problems that are not relevant insular or not.