Covid-19 has taken the world by storm. Everything has come to a standstill. The pandemic has forced many sporting events, including the Wimbledon, and Olympics to be postponed for an indefinite time period.
Will the Tokyo Summer Olympics commence any sooner, given the uncertainty and risks due to the current global situation?
Well, we can’t be sure enough. One of the members of the International Olympics Committee (IOC) expressed his concerns about the uncertainty around the Tokyo 2020 Games.
The State of Emergency in Tokyo
Japan has recently declared a state of emergency in Tokyo and the Prime Minister has shown his concerns about the ongoing crisis. Tokyo has recorded a high number of cases, ever since the first COVID-19 case was reported on January 24, 2020. Currently, the focus is on how to counter the menace of COVID-19.
The Olympics are rescheduled to take place in summer 2021, from July 23 to August 8. This gives the country enough time to make arrangements, and work on innovative SOPs to ensure the safety of not just athletes, but also fans who will attend the event live.
This time, the expenses related to the Olympic Games may skyrocket. The estimated cost has increased by $2.8 billion this year.
The Decision About Olympics
However, the final decision about whether or not the Olympics will go ahead as planned will only be taken in spring 2021. So, there’s still time available to better prepare for the event, provided people recover from COVID and return to normal life.
As opposed to the previous years, many people want the Olympics to either get canceled or delayed this year, as revealed by a poll conducted in Japan.
A Few Measures to be Taken
It is expected that participants will be asked to get vaccinated before they enter the country in order to avoid any health-related hazards.
If the Olympics do take place, athletes will also be sending out a strong message about how the world survived COVID-19 and encourage more people to get vaccinated – for not just their own safety but – for the safety of the international community.
