GO FOR GOLD? [THE FATE OF THE OLYMPICS]
Talk'OH! Tuesday
Written by Glenn Javier
With the continuous upsurge of COVID-19 cases worldwide and the discovery of new (and more contagious) variants of the virus, postponement, or even the cancellation of the 2020 (well, now 2021) Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan (a.k.a. Tokyo 2020) was speculated, creating a huge fuss on social media. However, it was loosely considered by the Japanese organizers and the IOC (International Olympic Committee).
According to our sources, Tokyo 2020 has gotten a GO signal with the Japanese government (led by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga) and all 33 sports agreeing to push through. The games will commence this July 23 until August 8, 2021. So what are the preparations? How is Canada preparing its athletes?
[March 2020] A man with a face mask sits in front of a Tokyo 2020 Olympics advert; Source: The Nation | Photo from Mladen Antonov/Getty
"At the moment, we're positive that the games will be held,"
said Francesco Ricci Bitti, president of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations during his interview with the Associated Press; published by SportsNet.
IOC President Thomas Bach also put an end to cancellation rumors when he mentioned that the issue at hand isn't about whether the Tokyo 2020 games are taking place but more on how the games should be held this July. Also, there's "no Plan B". Tokyo has already spent around $25 billion to organize the Olympics, a significant portion of which came from public funds.
While Japan still faces a lot of COVID-19 positives, Ricci Bitti is positive about the Summer Olympics. He added that the games will be different, calling it "Spartan Games", both limiting the usual services and the people involved (and yes, no in-person viewers for sure). According to TSN's article, IOC and the Tokyo organizers are also releasing a so-called "Pandemic Playbook", a reference material that will explain how 15,400 Olympic and Paralympic athletes and tens of thousands of others (including the coaches and staff) will try to "safely" enter Japan when the Olympics start in a few months.
Given that this is the new (and unfortunate) normal, Ricci Bitti indirectly indicated that we have to accept our current reality and be ready to have games that are not free of COVID. He made sure that countermeasures will always be present as they continue to go through every sport's anti-COVID procedures.
Well for over a year, the Olympic dreams of many athletes have been set aside - up until now. Like many other professions, they have been staying at home, adapting, finding new ways to train, and anticipating the fate of Tokyo 2020. Olympic Runner Gabriela DeBues-Stafford said in her interview with CBC that it's not realistic to have an Olympics without a vaccine.
Concerns in Canada?
According to CBC, CEO, and Secretary-General of the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) David Shoemaker is optimistic about Tokyo 2020 this summer despite the ongoing global pandemic. He says they want Canadian athletes to join, even without being vaccinated.
This decision took a 180 when he stated in an interview with Ian Hanomansing, host of The National, that the IOC decided to have participating teams vaccinated before the games. Shoemaker has spoken to the government on this "need" but is not disregarding the real priority or the need to vaccinate frontline workers and vulnerable individuals first. Because of this, there is a possibility that vaccines may not be widely available to the athletes prior to the games. This has already been planned by the COC.
More information regarding the status of Canadian athletes and the specifics of the "Pandemic Playbook" will be disclosed in the succeeding weeks and months. But one thing's for sure, the schedule of Tokyo 2020 is apparently set in stone.
Sources:
- TSN
- CBC
Comments