The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Danger of closure: Japanese public against Olympics Israel today

2021-01-22T08:52:39.918Z


| Additional industries Given the state of emergency in the country, a large part of the Japanese support the cancellation of the games in Tokyo in the summer • The damage in case of cancellation: $ 3 billion • Can we start preparing for Paris 2024? Optimistic forecast: "The games will take place without an audience and under the restrictions offered by the Japanese" Photography:  Reuters Now it has become personal.


Given the state of emergency in the country, a large part of the Japanese support the cancellation of the games in Tokyo in the summer • The damage in case of cancellation: $ 3 billion • Can we start preparing for Paris 2024?

  • Optimistic forecast: "The games will take place without an audience and under the restrictions offered by the Japanese"

    Photography: 

    Reuters

Now it has become personal.

In the last week the Japanese people have had their say: the vast majority in the country want to postpone the Olympics from this coming summer to another date, which is even at best.

A significant portion of the population was happy that the games would be canceled and transferred to a host from another country. 

All this of course against the background of the large rise in morbidity in Japan and the declaration of a state of emergency in the country, which again led to a difficult atmosphere in the streets and especially to the feeling that no one wants visitors from other countries in less than half a year.

Add to that what athletes around the world today define as "discomfort in the face of uncertainty," and you get the mood around the sports world.

One who did not remain indifferent to the feelings on the Japanese street is the chairman of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, who said last night: "There is no plan B, the Olympic Games will start according to plan. We have no reason to think that the Games will not start on July 23."

Yes, if these things sound familiar to you, they were also said about nine months ago, when it was clear that the games were about to be canceled, but Bach insisted that they take place as usual.

To reassure the Japanese, Bach added that the Olympic Committee would act with flexibility and responsibility when it comes to bringing in an audience, because "the security of the citizens is above all."

Damage: $ 3 billion

Other members of the International Committee and other members of the Olympic family are confident that next summer's games in Tokyo will be canceled, and that the next games will only take place in Paris 2024, but understand Bach's need to broadcast business as usual.

This is because further postponement of the competitions would be an economic blow to the Japanese as well, but first and foremost to the International Olympic Committee.

If the games are indeed canceled, it will again be a loss that is estimated at $ 3 billion, and for Bach the crowd in the stadiums is less important but more the spectators in the houses and the broadcasting rights agreements.

Therefore, officials at the International Olympic Committee such as Dick Pound, a former committee member and head of the Agency for the Prevention of Doping in Sports, believe that "audience at the upcoming Olympics is not mandatory. In my opinion they will be subject to restrictions offered by the Japanese." 

It has already been agreed that 6,000 athletes will march in the opening ceremony instead of 11,000 who will take part in the games.

However, other sources claimed that "what the Olympic Committee and the Japanese organizers are doing these days is to be Donald Trump - to know there is a problem, but to continue to insist that it does not exist."

Source: israelhayom

All sports articles on 2021-01-22

You may like

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.