Tokyo 2020 Olympics in focus 0:51
(CNN) -
Despite public outcry, skepticism from stakeholders, and an ongoing state of emergency in Tokyo and other prefectures, organizers maintain that the Olympics will go ahead this year.
Having been postponed for a year, the Olympic Games are scheduled to take place from July 23 to August 8 and the Paralympics from August 24 to September 5, even in the context of a state of emergency in Tokyo and several other prefectures until the end of May and 45,000 new cases of coronavirus in Japan during the past week.
The Olympic torch relay, already affected by the pandemic, continues its journey through Japan, and at the beginning of May, four volleyball, diving, marathon and athletics events were held.
More than 11,000 athletes from 207 different National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, and more than 7,800 athletes have already secured a place to compete in Tokyo.
Vaccine deployment may have increased, but bringing the world's best athletes together for the biggest sporting event on the globe will be a huge logistical challenge.
What are some of the implemented plans?
Given the strict health and safety measures that are being put in place, these Olympics will undoubtedly look different than what has been seen before.
advertising
In April, the organizers released the second version of a manual that describes a series of covid-19 protocols that they said will include “a series of measures to allow the Games to take place taking into account the evolution of the covid- 19 in Japan and around the world ”where“ each participant in the Games has a clear role to play in ensuring their own safety ”.
These include detailed testing procedures, which include all participants who receive two covid-19 tests before entering Japan, and athletes and those in close proximity are tested every day after their arrival. arrival.
If an athlete tests positive they will have to isolate themselves and will not be allowed to compete, but an additional test will be done on the same sample if the first test is positive or unclear.
Participants will also have to download two apps for health reporting and contact tracing while in Japan, and athletes will receive a Samsung smartphone upon arrival at the Olympic and Paralympic village to help record health details.
Foreign fans have already been banned from attending the Olympics and Paralympics, and a decision is expected on whether to allow domestic spectators in June.
Athletes and officials have been told to wear a mask at all times, except when eating, drinking, sleeping, training or competing, in accordance with the manual, and were advised to keep physical interaction to a minimum.
Athletes have been told to use dedicated Games vehicles, rather than public transportation, for travel and not to visit tourist areas, shops, restaurants, bars or gyms.
All your meals must be eaten in designated areas.
Athletes are also instructed to leave Japan within 48 hours after the end of the competition.
A final version of the manual, providing a clearer idea of how the Games will work, is expected in June.
CNN Exclusive: At 118, World's Oldest Living Person Will Carry the Olympic Flame in Japan
Will vaccinations be required?
Vaccines are seen as part of the 'toolbox' of countermeasures during the Olympics, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) says it is working with countries to encourage and assist all athletes, officials and stakeholders to get vaccinated. .
However, a vaccination will not be required to participate in the Games.
The deployment of the vaccine in Japan so far has been much slower than in other countries.
As of May 10, it had administered 4.4 million doses of vaccines to its population of 126 million people.
The challenge for organizers is that countries around the world have variable access to vaccines.
Some athletes, including sprinter Yohan Blake, have also expressed reluctance to get vaccinated.
The cost of canceling the Games
Organizers have been quick to quell rumors that the Games are scheduled to be canceled, and are adamant that they will go ahead as planned.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has said that the decision to cancel the Games rests with the IOC, and not with the Japanese government or the local organizing committee.
IOC official Dick Pound has also said that another postponement would be prohibitively expensive for Japan and logistically impossible, especially considering that the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics are less than a year away.
The IOC is a non-profit organization and distributes around US $ 3.4 million every day to support athletes and sports organizations around the world.
The Olympic Games represent a substantial part of the total income of the IOC;
Between 2013 and 2016, for example, a period spanning the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics and the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics, the IOC generated revenues of $ 5.7 billion.
About 75% of IOC funding comes from broadcast rights, meaning that the Tokyo Games would generate much-needed revenue, even without fan attendance, while a cancellation would prove disastrously costly.
This is what inequality in vaccination against covid-19 looks like
The Games have been canceled only three previous times - in 1916, 1940 and 1944 - all due to world wars.
Public opposition
Among the Japanese public, there is a strong feeling that the Games should not go ahead.
According to a recent poll by broadcaster JNN, 37% of respondents thought the Olympics should be canceled, 33% thought they should be held with limited viewers and 28% thought they should be postponed.
A petition against the Olympics has garnered more than 350,000 signatures, while protesters have also taken to the streets to demonstrate against the Games going ahead.
More recently, an IOC press conference on May 12 was interrupted by a protester shouting "no to the Olympics anywhere" and holding a banner saying "no to the Olympics in Tokyo."
PHOTOS |
Uniforms for Team USA's Olympic Games throughout history
The IOC, however, remains unfazed by public opposition.
"We are now in an implementation phase with 78 days to go and fully focused on the Games being held," IOC spokesman Mark Adams told an online press conference.
"When the Games are held and the Japanese are the proud hosts of an event that will be a historic moment, I think I am very confident that we will see public opinion very in favor of the Games."
CNN's Aleks Klosok contributed to this report.
Olympic Tokyo 2020