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By Kevin Cahill ('23)
With the majority of the population receiving vaccines and with the summer just around the corner, the stage is set for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to finally begin. As their name suggests, they were originally scheduled to occur almost a year ago, during the Summer of 2020. However, like most other events during that time, they were postponed from their initial date, and instead, they are set to begin on July 23rd and end in early August of this year.
But this new date has sparked a ton of controversy amongst the International Olympic Committee, as well as among the athletes themselves. For example, while there are many obvious issues regarding the health of the athletes, there are also many individual problems that they may face, such as reduced training and a lack of motivation due to the shortage of fans in the stadiums. Issues like these have led to many talks and debates about whether or not the 2020 Olympic Games should be postponed again until it is a safer and more predictable time. But to find a definite answer to that question, we must first analyze both sides of the argument in their entirety.
“Postpone them, there is too much at risk!"
Most of the officials who are against having the Tokyo Olympics so soon mainly believe that the COVID-19 pandemic is still too widespread and dangerous to allow such a gathering to occur with people from all around the world. They think that despite lower COVID-19 rates and higher numbers of vaccinated people, it is just too risky of a move to make so early into our global recovery from the pandemic.
In addition to that, the country of Japan has very strict policies regarding the pandemic. So, even if only a small number of athletes are not tested or vaccinated, it could mean major issues for the other athletes as well as for the entire Olympic community as a whole. The Tokyo 2020 Chief Executive, Toshiro Muto, explains that “More than 130 countries are restricted from entering the country. We don’t know what will happen, but it’s too optimistic to assume all restrictions will be gone so we must think of other ways.”
Photo courtesy of ESPN
Finally, on a more practical level, many people want the games to be postponed so that the athletes can receive a proper Olympic experience, with an adequate amount of training, as well as with the right amount of fans to cheer them on. One report, although it is unconfirmed, even claims that overseas fans won’t even be allowed to attend the Tokyo Olympics at all. This, along with the other current conditions surrounding this year’s Olympic Games, may de-motivate athletes to the point where they may protest or even quit the Olympics. Thus, many people believe that postponing the Olympics until a safer and more predictable time is the only option to keep the athletes committed and fix all of the issues previously explained.
Photo courtesy of The Japan Times
“No, the athletes have prepared for this their whole lives, let them play!”
On the other hand, plenty of people believe that the original postponement of the Olympics was enough, and having them this summer would show how the world has overcome the chaos from the COVID-19 pandemic. The President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, states that these postponed Olympic Games could prove "unique" and send “a message of solidarity among the entire world, coming for the first time together again, and celebrating the triumph over coronavirus.” Other officials even go so far as to say that postponing the games again to next summer would be utterly pointless since the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics would be held the same year, so therefore if they were to be postponed, it would make more sense to just cancel them and move on.
Photo courtesy of The Japan Times
Earlier, we explored how postponing the games would help athletes better prepare for the full Olympic experience. But while some athletes believe this, there are plenty of other athletes who think otherwise. For example, 35 year-old trampolinist Tetsuya Sotomura said “It's so uncertain. No one knows the probability. If what awaits us next year is cancellation, I would have lost another year for nothing. So that is another reason to go now.” Olympic athletes like Tetsuya have tight and specific schedules that they need to follow to train for these Olympic events, and postponing the Games would just ruin their rhythm all over again.
Final Thoughts
I believe that if vaccinations are mandatory, attendance is limited, and all COVID-19 guidelines are followed, then Tokyo should be able to hold a fair and unique set of Olympic Games this summer. This would be a turning point in how the world is recovering from the pandemic, and it will also guarantee that the work put in by the athletes will finally be paid off.
But what about your thoughts? Given all of the information here, do you believe that the Tokyo Olympics should be postponed again? Regardless of everyone’s opinions, there is no doubt that the 2020 Tokyo Games will be a unique event in the history of the Olympics.
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