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the Olympics still divide one month from the opening

Published on : 23/06/2021 – 11:41

One month away from the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics, which will take place on July 23, these Olympic Games, already historic in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, still divide the Japanese. The organizers authorized the presence of local spectators on June 21, but at 50% of the capacity of each site and within a maximum limit of 10,000 people. Questions still remain: Are they safe enough? Or should they even have been canceled altogether?

The most recent polls show that the Japanese are not in favor to the holding of Olympic Games on their territory: the fear of a resurgence of the epidemic is on everyone’s mind, especially as only 7% of Japanese have received two doses of the vaccine to date, and that athletes with their coaches and the media will quickly arrive from all corners of the world.

« Infections will be extremely difficult to control throughout the Games “, Explains Michael Head, researcher in global health at the University of Southampton in Great Britain:” It will be difficult to keep the number of Covid cases as low as possible and to prevent people from bringing the virus back to their respective countries. »

According to the researcher, the Games should have been postponed for another year: ” We know that there are disturbing variants circulating, and if you put together people who come from different countries, it can only increase the risks of new variants, and it could have an impact on the overall vaccination. . Even though I love sports, even though I love the Olympics, from a public health point of view wearing them is really not a good idea. »

Maintained because less risk

For their part, the Japanese authorities considered that the holding of the Games was less dangerous this year. This is explained by the strategy to fight against Covid adopted by the Japan. « If the Americans and Europeans have opted for a long-term strategy, with a mass vaccination, Tokyo wanted to control the spread as and », Develops Dr. Spencer Fox, biologist and deputy director of the Covid-19 Consortium at the University of Texas in Austin.

« It is important to note that although Japan has just faced a new wave of Covid cases, if we compare the figures with those of the United States during this last wave, even at its peak, the ratio per population was still lower than at the worst time of the pandemic in the United States », Continues the biologist. ” With the current numbers, and given the decline of the wave, if 10,000 Japanese – which will be the permissible tonnage in stadiums – make it to an event, we estimate that no more than one person in the crowd would be infected. The numbers are that low. »

Only Japanese will be able to attend the Games since foreign tourists will not be able to travel to Japan, a decision taken earlier this year.

Spencer Fox gives the example of ” sports bubbles ” in the USA : ” Many sporting events, such as NBA (National Basketball Association) or American football matches, take place without the athletes being at risk. Regular tests prevent them from contracting the virus. According to him, the health efforts put in place by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ensure the safety of athletes and those around them.

Opponents of the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games on June 20.
Opponents of the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games on June 20. AP –Eugene Hoshiko

Internal and international pressures

The pressure to maintain the Games has been exerted at several levels. ” For the central government it is sure that there is a question of honor, but there is also a question of economic arbitration: to cancel would be extremely expensive. », Explains Raphaël Languillon-Aussel, research professor in geography and planning at the University of Geneva, specialist in Japan. ” The postponement has already cost at least a billion euros, and then these Games, which were supposed to be inexpensive, because they reused a lot of infrastructure, have become even more expensive than the London Games, and almost as well. expensive than those in Sochi. »

The Tokyo Games would cost 15 to 20 billion euros. ” It is therefore extremely delicate to cancel them He continues. ” At the IOC level, there was a lot of pressure to keep the Games going, knowing that the IOC ultimately has little interest in having spectators in the stadium. What interests him is that there are viewers, that sponsorship and television rights and derivative rights work, otherwise he is the loser. ” The ALREADY are for the CIO the equivalent of a brand. ” It therefore manages them as such, while considering the economic benefits. »

Local authorities in Tokyo were also under pressure to cancel, but ultimately, says the researcher, they used the Games as leverage in their negotiations with the state to help them manage the pandemic.

Spencer Fox also highlights the “ implications sociales “Of these Games:” In these times, after a year and a half of the global fight against the virus, perhaps it is just time to celebrate the whole world through these Games. »

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