Doubt instead of party: What will happen to the Tokyo Games?

The Japanese hosts and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) around its President Thomas Bach are clinging to the hope that the Corona crisis will end in time for the 2021 Games. But questions keep arising that cause little confidence. We'll try to answer some of them here. What were the consequences of the postponement? For more than 11.000 athletes, the goal that they have been working towards for years is now twelve months further away. For many people, this is a major turning point for training, career and family planning. The hosts and the IOC will incur additional costs totaling several billion euros. On the one hand, associations and national Olympic committees have to fight for their economic survival and, on the other hand, they have to completely revise their competition calendars and qualification guidelines. How safe is the 2021 Olympics? The doubts are great. If a vaccine doesn't end the coronavirus pandemic in time, summer games with thousands of athletes and millions of fans in Japan are hard to imagine. At most, virologists expect a sports festival reduced to the minimum - without a show, without crowds. According to a recent survey, around 70 percent of Japanese believe that the Tokyo Games should either be postponed again or canceled completely. The organizers and the IOC are sticking to the plans and want to present detailed concepts for an Olympics under Corona conditions in the fall.

A symbolic image: A worried OC boss Yoshiro Mori in front of the Olympic slogan: “United by Emotion” © APA/afp / ISSEI KATO

What is the current situation in the host country? The number of corona deaths in Japan exceeded 1000 at the beginning of the week. Tokyo recently declared the highest alert level after the number of infected people rose significantly again. Japan is in a severe recession, industrial production and exports have collapsed, and tourism, which was booming until the outbreak of the Corona crisis, has come to a standstill. Japan's government is countering the crisis with a gigantic economic stimulus program. Because of the high number of infected people, Tokyo is exempt from a controversial funding campaign for the tourism industry; domestic trips there are not subsidized. How far are the preparations for the 2021 Games? After successful negotiations with the owners and investors, all Olympic competition venues and the athletes' village will be available next year as originally planned. Tickets purchased remain valid, but can also be exchanged from autumn onwards. Volunteers who would have participated this year will be given priority in the volunteer program for 2021. IOC President Thomas Bach promised that nothing should change at the core of the games for the athletes. The Olympic organizers have announced significant savings, but they have not yet provided any information about where exactly. How could a Corona Olympics work? Japan wants to make entry easier for athletes and officials. The country's external borders are currently closed. Participants from all over the world may have to go into quarantine upon arrival, if they are allowed to leave their homeland at all. A highly complex hygiene concept with separate “bubbles” for the Olympians would have to be in place for the duration of the Games. According to IOC Olympic Director Christophe Dubi, over 200 suggestions have been made to curb the risk of infections. It is questionable whether spectators are even allowed to be there. However, IOC boss Bach has ruled out ghost games only for television, and many athletes are also against it. Why is the Olympics not canceled because of the great uncertainty? For Thomas Bach, the Tokyo Games should become a symbol of victory against the virus. “The Olympic Games can be a unique milestone for the entire world,” said the 66-year-old. For Bach himself, saving the Summer Games would also be a personal triumph at the start of his second term in office, but a rejection would be a deep black mark on an already difficult presidency. Japan also wants to preserve its reputation as a master of organization and prevent the loss of face if the Tokyo Games fail. In addition to the Olympic dream of many athletes, billions in investments are also at stake for the hosts. However, IOC boss Bach has denied financial motives such as securing TV income. “Canceling the Games due to force majeure would have been easier for the IOC; we would have had the income from insurance,” he recently said The Team . “But we are there to organize the games, not to cancel them.”

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Doubt instead of party: What will happen to the Tokyo Games?

The Summer Games in Japan were supposed to have opened magnificently this Friday, but instead there is guesswork and complete emptiness. The IOC is currently trying to get the Olympics to take place regularly next year. But the doubts are huge.

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