Will the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games be cancelled?

[Benolympique 2,438]

First Authorised Neutral Athletes approved for 2021: -

Mariya Lasitskene (High Jump)

Anzhelika Sidorova (Pole Vault)

Ilia Ivaniuk (High Jump)

Aksana Gataullina (Pole Vault)

[Quaker2001 339]

12 hours ago, opruh said:

Fake news, Olympics will go ahead smoothly with arenas and stadiums filled with spectator. Pandemic will officially end next month.

Thanks, Trump.

 

I had the same thoughts about NPB how if they can have fans, why not Olympic venues.  Not that simple though.  Japan is not handling the pandemic well right now relative to where they were 3 months ago.  That's concerning.  I remain confident there will be an Olympics, but with how many spectators remains to be seen.

[Orangehair43 315]

They might well end up cutting fans mid games if the situation detoriates while the games are going ahead. Last minute changes have happened frequently through out the world during the pandemic. 

[thiago_simoes 1,458]

14 hours ago, phelps said:

 

frankly, I'm a bit tired of all this "ideas" going against all the logics and everything they're doing right now in the world (and in Japan) with all the sports...

I'm all in for protective measures to be taken no matter what, but I also have to say that I kind of agree with the fact that I'm tired of Japan being mostly hypocritical and selfish right now.

You see, I've always loved Japan. I've studied the language, I've been dreaming about visiting the country since I was a small kid, but still everything fell apart last year. Japan has been dealing with the pandemics in a convoluted and almost chaotic way. I've seen countless videos of people walking around the streets of Tokyo and it's not uncommon to see residents with their noses poking out of the mask or even wearing the masks on their chins. The subway and some restaurants are overcrowded, and when people eat they obviously don't wear masks. It's like the Japanese are showing the middle finger to the rest of the world when "no one" is watching, and then act like perfect "civilized" citizens when dealing with the way the Olympics will be staged. This kind of hypocrisy makes me really sick.

For example, take a look at what happens here from 13:35 on. This video is from September 2020. It's unsettling and almost outrageous for me to watch this, because I've been basically stuck at home for almost one year and still people just go out to an overcrowded place as if nothing is happening. UGH.

[Vektor 3,326]

It's all politics. Many people here in Hungary are also outraged by how we will have a full stadium for EURO2020, and yet, if you go outside, everything seems normal and crowded. It depends on who's in charge. Orbán both loves sports and wants to use the EURO2020 matches as a celebration of how he "defeated" COVID in Hungary, so we will have a full stadium. The leaders of Japan obviously have a different opinion on how they can gain popularity with their supporters. 

[Monzanator 5,111]

10 hours ago, Quaker2001 said:

Thanks, Trump.

 

I had the same thoughts about NPB how if they can have fans, why not Olympic venues.  Not that simple though.  Japan is not handling the pandemic well right now relative to where they were 3 months ago.  That's concerning.  I remain confident there will be an Olympics, but with how many spectators remains to be seen.

 

This actually means there will be more pressure and backlash on Japan. Because if the main issue is how Japan struggles to embrace the pandemic they will be crushed on the global stage. The entire world is dealing with COVID and their excuse to cancel the Games would be "We are struggling". Bullshit. That's not an excuse at all. It looks especially bad for a country that thrives on extreme job culture and their goal to achieve perfection. Frickin' baseball stadiums in USA will open to full capacity later this month IIRC and Japan "is struggling"? They won't get away with that when it comes to the biggest sporting event of them all.

[rafalgorka 1,821]

13 hours ago, Benolympique said:

First Authorised Neutral Athletes approved for 2021: -

Mariya Lasitskene (High Jump)

Anzhelika Sidorova (Pole Vault)

Ilia Ivaniuk (High Jump)

Aksana Gataullina (Pole Vault)

I'm very happy for Lasitskene. It was very disappointing she couldn't participate in Rio. She was in a great form and never had doping issues herself. She would probably get gold in Rio. It won't be that easy in Tokyo with strong Ukrainian challenge. Women's high jump may be one of the most entertaining events in athletics.

 

[Orangehair43 315]

The big risk is the Indian Variant, or another similarly risky one,  breaking out in Tokyo - if that happens then teams will withdraw, Australia for example has made entry even for it’s citizens coming from India illegal.

[Vektor 3,326]

To be fair, Japan isn't the only wealthy nation that would struggle to host under these circumstances. I think the situtation with Paris2024 wouldn't be substantially better. Brisbane2032 might have already been cancelled, we are lucky that Australia isn't hosting. LA2028 would probably be the best case scenario for COVID, or countries like Great Britain or China hosting again. 

[Monzanator 5,111]

Brisbane would be cancelled? No way. They are letting crowds back at the V8 Supercars races so I presume they'd go ahead with SOG 100%.