Potential for cancellation of Tokyo 2020

Lemonade20 said:
Funny how they're more worried about having vaccinated people from abroad coming instead of vaccinating their own people.
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I'm not sure that's fair. They know their people have done an amazing job practicing behaviors that limit the spread of the virus. There is no way they can count on these foreign VIPs to do the same.

Because they did such a good job controlling the virus there was less motivation to use emergency authorizations for vaccines and roll them out. Now that they have I think at least moderna approved they are vaccinating quite a lot of people.
 
Whether or not the Summer Games go ahead, the IOC announced the 2020 [sic] Refugee Olympic Team yesterday. Twenty-nine athletes hailing from a total of eleven nations are scheduled to compete in Tokyo under the Olympic flag. They are:
  • Abdullah Sediqi (Afghanistan) - Taekwondo (Men’s -68kg)
  • Ahmad Baddredin Wais (Syrian Arab Republic) - Cycling (Men’s Road)
  • Ahmad Alikaj (Syrian Arab Republic) - Judo (Men’s Mixed team)
  • Aker Al Obaidi (Iraq) - Wrestling (Men’s Greco-Roman -67kg)
  • Alaa Maso (Syrian Arab Republic) - Swimming (Men’s 50m Freestyle)
  • Anjelina Nadai Lohalith (South Sudan) - Athletics (Women’s 1500m)
  • Aram Mahmoud (Syrian Arab Republic) - Badminton (Men’s singles)
  • Cyrille Fagat Tchatchet II (Cameroon) - Weightlifting (Men’s -96kg)
  • Dina Pouryounes Langeroudi (Islamic Republic of Iran) - Taekwondo (Women’s -49kg)
  • Dorian Keletela (Congo) - Athletics (Men’s 100m)
  • Eldric Sella Rodriguez (Venezuela) - Boxing (Men’s -75kg)
  • Hamoon Derafshipour (Islamic Republic of Iran) - Karate (Men’s -67kg)
  • Jamal Abdelmaji Eisa Mohammed (Sudan) - Athletics (Men’s 5,000m)
  • James Nyang Chiengjiek (South Sudan) - Athletics (Men’s 800m)
  • Javad Majoub (Islamic Republic of Iran) - Judo (Men’s Mixed team)
  • Kimia Alizadeh Zenozi (Islamic Republic of Iran) - Taekwondo (Women’s -57kg)
  • Luna Solomon (Eritrea) - Shooting (Women’s Air Rifle 10m)
  • Masomah Ali Zada (Afghanistan) - Cycling (Women’s Road)
  • Muna Dahouk (Syrian Arab Republic) - Judo (Women’s Mixed team)
  • Nigara Shaheen (Afghanistan) - Judo (Women’s Mixed team)
  • Paulo Amotun Lokoro (South Sudan) - Athletics (Men’s 5,000m)
  • Popole Misenga (DR Congo) - Judo (Men’s Mixed team)
  • Rose Nathike Lokonyen (South Sudan) - Athletics (Women’s 800m)
  • Saeid Fazloula (Islamic Republic of Iran) - Canoe (Men’s 500m)
  • Sanda Aldass (Syrian Arab Republic) - Judo (Women’s Mixed Team)
  • Tachlowini Gabriyesos (Eritrea) - Athletics (Men’s Marathon)
  • Wael Sheub (Syrian Arab Republic) - Karate (Men’s Kata)
  • Wessam Salamana (Syrian Arab Republic) - Boxing (Men’s -57kg)
  • Yusra Mardini (Syrian Arab Republic) - Swimming (Women’s 100m Butterfly)
More information is available here.
 
Thanks, @Orm Irian - ETA that I've re-posted the news as a separate thread in the Tokyo Olympics subforum: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...pic-team-for-tokyo-2020-olympic-games.108363/

ETA:

asia.nikkei.com article:
tinyurl.com

Olympics: from June 1 to July 22, Jill Biden lands in Tokyo

An archive of the happenings in the weeks ahead of the opening ceremony
tinyurl.com tinyurl.com
Wednesday, June 9 (Tokyo time)
9:00 a.m. Australia's national baseball team withdraws from the final Olympic qualifier, citing "insurmountable" challenges related to COVID-19. The decision comes a few days after Taiwan's baseball squad made the same decision.
The event was originally set to be held in Taiwan this month, but due to the island's coronavirus outbreak, it was moved to Mexico.
"The planning for Taiwan was extensive and with the late change in location and dates, those plans became obsolete," Baseball Australia chief executive Glenn Williams is quoted as saying on the organization's website. "We worked through multiple options and scenarios but the logistical challenges of providing a safe environment for the group were insurmountable."
China had already pulled out of the qualifier before it was moved, for uncertain reasons. This leaves only the Netherlands, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic vying for the final slot.
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Last edited:
Tokyo Olympics to Operate Under State of Emergency

Nishimura said Thursday that under the state of emergency, venues in Tokyo and Okinawa will be limited to 5,000 people or 50% of capacity, with no spectators allowed at events that finish later than 9 p.m.
Japanese media Asahi Shimbun and Kyodo News reported that for the Games opening ceremony, which will be held July 23 and last beyond 9 p.m., only "special guests" will be allowed. They will include members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Games' sponsors and foreign dignitaries, the reports said.
It remains unclear if the rest of the Games will ban all spectators, or restrict the number of attendees to 5,000. An official decision is expected to be made at a meeting between the Tokyo government, the national government, the Tokyo 2020 organizers, and the IOC and International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
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Sad for the athletes, but the right decision. I hope things will be in a better place by next winter, but I fear the Games in Beijing will need similar restrictions.
 
Debbie S said:
Sad for the athletes, but the right decision. I hope things will be in a better place by next winter, but I fear the Games in Beijing will need similar restrictions.
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I can't see the Chinese government putting those sort of restrictions on the event. They'll pretend everything is hunky-dory and that Sinovac is working like a dream.
 
Karen-W said:
I can't see the Chinese government putting those sort of restrictions on the event. They'll pretend everything is hunky-dory and that Sinovac is working like a dream.
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Maybe. But this is also the gov't that locked people in homes to monitor their quarantine and arrested people for not wearing masks. Conditions will probably depend on what/if any variants are sweeping the globe by then.
 
www.cnn.com

First lady Jill Biden's team 'assessing the feasibility' of attending the Tokyo Olympics | CNN Politics

First lady Jill Biden's team is still assessing whether it's feasible for her to attend the Olympics in Tokyo after Japan's Olympics Committee announced all spectators will be banned from the venues of the Games in the host city and the nation declared a state of emergency in the city due to...
www.cnn.com www.cnn.com
"We are still assessing the feasibility of the First Lady attending, and our advance team arrives in Tokyo on Friday," said Michael LaRosa, the first lady's press secretary, in a statement to CNN.
The East Wing indicated last month that they had been in discussions about having the first lady attend the games' opening ceremony.
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ETA:
english.kyodonews.net

Tokyo Olympics to be held mostly without spectators due to pandemic

The Tokyo Olympics will be held without spectators at venues in the Japanese capital due to a spike in coronavirus infections, Olympic minister Tamayo Marukawa says after organizers made the unprecedented decision just two weeks ahead of the opening of the global sporting event.
english.kyodonews.net english.kyodonews.net
In addition to Tokyo, the Olympics will be held behind closed doors at venues in Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama, three prefectures near the capital, the organizers said. Some other venues of the Olympics are located outside the metropolitan area. [...]
Venues in Fukushima and Miyagi in northeastern Japan and Shizuoka in the center of the country will admit up to 10,000 spectators.
Meanwhile, Ibaraki, northeast of Tokyo, will bar general spectators but will allow students to enter the stands as part of school programs. The northernmost main island of Hokkaido is still considering its policy, the organizing committee said.
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Not allowing fans in Tokyo will also deal a heavy blow to the organizing committee, which initially projected the ticket revenue to be 90 billion yen ($820 million).
The organizing committee sold 4.48 million tickets for the Olympics before the pandemic. Having already accepted applications for refunds last year, it was trying to further reduce the number of tickets to about 2.72 million through a lottery.
Bach took part in the five-party meeting from his hotel after arriving in Tokyo earlier in the day.
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About the Opening Ceremonies: “...although some dignitaries, sponsors, IOC Officials...will be allowed to attend.” 🤮
 
The only way the games would have been canceled is if the government of Japan had pulled all the permits and it seemed pretty clear they weren't going to do that.
 
skipaway said:
And Now No Spectators 😥
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Seems like a no brainer, but I guess they didn't want to make that decision until they knew what the status of the pandemic would be in Japan at this particular time.

The NBC news broadcast last night said there may still be spectators for some events outside of Tokyo. (Things like the marathon, etc.)

skatfan said:
It seems more than a little crazy that the games are going forward at all, and I’m one of those who really looks forward to them.
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It's a lot. Having all the athletes/coaches/officials traveling from everywhere. Thankful there are vaccines available for many of the participants, but without the Japanese people, themselves, having all had access yet, it's scary for the city at large. This event is such a huge undertaking for the country & organizers who have probably felt like they were planning on shifting sands since last spring. As of January, I really didn't think they would pull it off. I had a lot of hope for the games in China, but mid-summer was pushing it. For such a massive event.


The Olympics will have their audience. The fraction of human beings who can afford to buy tickets & attend an Olympic Games is such a minute portion of the audience.

I would imagine it will be a hard experience for the athletes in some ways. There are so many aspects of the Olympic experience that are about being together. Together with each other. Together with the world.

I also imagine it could be quite a meaningful experience for both the athletes and the world as well.
 
The no spectators thing is probably not that big of a deal to most athletes. Most athletes are used to training day in day out with no spectators, and also going to smaller events with very few people in the stands. Like be honest -- would synchronized swimmers be used to having thousands of screaming spectators?

I think the harder part is not having family there in the stands.
 
I'm interested in how the TV ratings will be. Will the lack of fans in the stands diminish the enthusiasm that is such a part of watching the Olympics. Or will TV audiences just be happy watching something new and unscripted.
 
So, the athletes are not required to be fully vaccinated? How’s that gonna work?
 
missing said:
I'm interested in how the TV ratings will be. Will the lack of fans in the stands diminish the enthusiasm that is such a part of watching the Olympics. Or will TV audiences just be happy watching something new and unscripted.
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Who cares about fans in the stands when you're watching from your sofa???

It's only the local hospitality and entertainment venues who will be really, really sad as they will lose that revenue from non-athlete spectators.
 
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