Tokyo Olympics is Still On (Update: No Spectators)

nickp91

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Jun 29, 2011
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we get summer and Winter Olympics in back to back years so that’s exciting!
 

TaLoN

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Joint Statement from the International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee - Olympic News
In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO today, the IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community.

The leaders agreed that the Olympic Games in Tokyo could stand as a beacon of hope to the world during these troubled times and that the Olympic flame could become the light at the end of the tunnel in which the world finds itself at present. Therefore, it was agreed that the Olympic flame will stay in Japan. It was also agreed that the Games will keep the name Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.
 

Albatros

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The event has become so toxic that it's hard to see how it could still take place this year, even prestige and money to be made can carry it only so far.
 

Albatros

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Article is firewalled, but sounds like Japan officials are essentially looking to cancel the games.

It's not that simple, Japan is essentially a one-party state and there are massive amounts of grift involved in the Olympic process. So the different factions of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party all have their own agendas and the government has to facilitate them all at the same time. As long as there's money to be made many factions will definitively remain pro-Olympics.
 

BMOK33

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It's not that simple, Japan is essentially a one-party state and there are massive amounts of grift involved in the Olympic process. So the different factions of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party all have their own agendas and the government has to facilitate them all at the same time. As long as there's money to be made many factions will definitively remain pro-Olympics.

The story is definitely not true in that Japan cannot cancel this totally on their own. It may be that they want to do it but I have my doubts the IOC will allow it. This is just Japan being greedy probably knowing spectator attendance won't be that big
 

LeHab

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Aug 31, 2005
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Making alternative plans is to be expected. However any decision will probably not occur until well into Spring.

For now things look grim but a lot can change until then.
 

BMOK33

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Making alternative plans is to be expected. However any decision will probably not occur until well into Spring.

For now things look grim but a lot can change until then.

Its absurd to think when other major sporting events have happened that by mid July they cannot hold this. If this is the case the 2022 winter games are out too because what is going to be so much better come 2/2022 vs 7/2021?
 

discostu

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It's not that simple, Japan is essentially a one-party state and there are massive amounts of grift involved in the Olympic process. So the different factions of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party all have their own agendas and the government has to facilitate them all at the same time. As long as there's money to be made many factions will definitively remain pro-Olympics.

We'll see. It's really hard to see how an event of this scale can go forward in the current environment, but, I do agree, the (often disproportionate) economic interests makes it hard to predict what they'll do.

The Olympics are such a massive event, that it's just hard to even envision. It makes planning around the NHL season seem quaint.
 

BMOK33

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We'll see. It's really hard to see how an event of this scale can go forward in the current environment, but, I do agree, the (often disproportionate) economic interests makes it hard to predict what they'll do.

The Olympics are such a massive event, that it's just hard to even envision. It makes planning around the NHL season seem quaint.

Reality is by the time the Olympics happen you could have 30-40% of the worlds population vaccinated or a large percent of the athletes.
 

SmoggyTwinkles

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Olympics ain't gonna happen.

If they try to do it, it's gonna be bad.

Damn, a ton of money is going to be lost from it.

Would you buy a package to go to Tokyo to watch the Olympics live? There's just no way it's going to happen. The tourism part of the Olympics is a massive part of what makes hosting appealing. If that can't happen it's probably better to just delay it.
 
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Rob

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Olympics ain't gonna happen.

If they try to do it, it's gonna be bad.

Damn, a ton of money is going to be lost from it.

Would you buy a package to go to Tokyo to watch the Olympics live? There's just no way it's going to happen. The tourism part of the Olympics is a massive part of what makes hosting appealing. If that can't happen it's probably better to just delay it.


Agreed. No harm in waiting one more year.
 

discostu

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Olympics ain't gonna happen.

If they try to do it, it's gonna be bad.

Damn, a ton of money is going to be lost from it.

Would you buy a package to go to Tokyo to watch the Olympics live? There's just no way it's going to happen. The tourism part of the Olympics is a massive part of what makes hosting appealing. If that can't happen it's probably better to just delay it.

I think you'd actually get a number of tourists. If you're vaccinated (and many people will by that point), then, risk is low.

Issue is the athletes. Not all can get vaccinated before that point, and the whole nature of the games involves big crowds, cramped quarters and a condensed schedule.

If it spreads across a group that has to quarantine, you've missed the whole games.
 

AdvancedPressure

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Honestly I don't see how they go ahead with it. The magic of the Olympics is the fans coming together from around the world for a massive celebration. Having some bizarre attendance-less Black Mirror-esque Games with everyone masked up like we're living in some weird dystopia is just depressing to think about.
 

Hoek

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Japan's progress on vaccination has been abysmal. I'd be worried about holding this event with the more transmissible variants if I were them.
 

discostu

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Honestly I don't see how they go ahead with it. The magic of the Olympics is the fans coming together from around the world for a massive celebration. Having some bizarre attendance-less Black Mirror-esque Games with everyone masked up like we're living in some weird dystopia is just depressing to think about.

Counterpoint from the IOC.

tenor (1).gif
 

SPF6ty9

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Honestly I don't see how they go ahead with it. The magic of the Olympics is the fans coming together from around the world for a massive celebration. Having some bizarre attendance-less Black Mirror-esque Games with everyone masked up like we're living in some weird dystopia is just depressing to think about.

I think it would have been able to pull off if they pivoted to the US or UK a few months back and just pushed Japan to a later Olympics. Those countries already have facilities in place.

I always feel for the athletes in this scenario. People that are so quick to just say "cancel it" or boycott the games for whatever reason never seem to think of the athletes that have spent most of their lives dedicated to this moment. They don't care about politics or policy, they just want to compete against the best on the biggest stage. For their sake, hopefully a decision is made soon so that their sports can organize world championship events in their place.
 

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