Olympics started in 1896 and were cancelled three times ever since it began. This was cancelled once because of World War I in 1916 and twice during World War II in 1940 and 1944. It is a set of international sports competitions that happen once every four years. Japan hosted the event three times in the past (Summer Olympics 1964, Winter Olympics 1972, Winter Olympics 1998) and this year summer 2020 was supposed to be the fourth.
A lot of Japanese react to the postponement of the Olympics which was supposed to be held in Tokyo this July 2020. The event was postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
According to the interview with IOC President Thomas Bach by Dan Roan, a BBC sports editor, “You cannot forever employ 3,000 to 5,000 people in an organizing committee; you cannot have the athletes being in uncertainty.” In March 2020, the OIC was questioned by the athletes why the games were not postponed sooner. “The developments were so fast that you could not know what would happen tomorrow,” the OIC added in the interview.
It was also mentioned that the organizers have no Plan B. The Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told IOC president Thomas Bach that 2021 may be the “last option” for the Tokyo Olympics.
He also said that everything is still at risk and it will still depend on how the world will look like next year for them to decide whether the Tokyo Olympics will push through. “We are relying on the advice of the World Health Organization. We have established one principle: to organize these Games in a safe environment for all the participants. Nobody knows what the world will look like in one year, in two months.” he added.
Japan and other countries are still fighting against COVID-19 outbreak. As of today, in Japan alone, there are 1,386 active cases, 894 fatalities, and 14,650 recoveries. It has 6,467,333 active cases, 382,766 fatalities, and 3,078,403 recoveries worldwide.
Reference:
Japan at the Olympics.(2020, June 3). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_at_the_Olympics
Roan, D. (2020). IOC’s Thomas Bach accepts Tokyo Olympics would have to be cancelled if not held in 2021. BBC. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/52747797
Roos, D. (2020). When World Events Disrupted the Olympics. History. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/news/olympics-postponed-cancelled#:~:text=Since%20the%20opening%20of%20the,II%20(1940%2C%201944).
