The Tokyo Olympic Main Stadium as seen from a helicopter on the 15th, about a week before the Tokyo Olympics. There are empty spectator seats, a hoisting pole where the Olympic flag will be held, and a large structure reminiscent of a badminton shuttlecock, but there is no movement from the organizers of the event. Tokyo = Olympic Photo Collaboration Foundation
The auxiliary baseball field next to the Tokyo Olympic Main Stadium is filled with large structures presumed to be quarantine facilities. Tokyo = Olympic Photo Collaboration Foundation
The Tokyo Olympic Main Stadium as seen from a helicopter on the 15th, about a week before the Tokyo Olympics. It is a quiet atmosphere with no vehicles or people. Tokyo = Olympic Photo Collaboration Foundation
‘Global Village Festival’ Tokyo, in one word, was ‘silent’ about a week before the Olympics. Near the Tokyo Olympic Stadium, where the opening ceremony is held, as well as in major urban areas, there are hardly any vehicles or people coming and going. In the aerial photos sent on the 15th by the Olympic Photography Foundation, which consists of reporters from major domestic daily newspapers, Tokyo had turned into a ‘ghost city’.
In the face of the pandemic, Tokyo’s appearance ahead of the Olympics is quite different from the atmosphere of past Olympic venues. Ahead of the Olympic Games, the entire city is excited by the athletes, reporters, and tourists from all over the world who flocked to each city to watch the game, and while the area around the stadium was busy preparing for the last minute, Tokyo felt calm and desolate.
With only hundreds of government officials attending due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Tokyo Olympic main stadium, where the opening and closing ceremonies will be held, was equipped with a hoisting pole to hold the Olympic flag during the 15th and a large facility reminiscent of a badminton shuttlecock, but there was no movement. The auxiliary baseball field right next to the main stadium is filled with structures including a large white tent, and only three or four people can be seen moving.
The Olympic Village in Harumi, Tokyo, Japan, seen from a helicopter. The Athletes Village and the surrounding roads are sluggish as there are no vehicles passing by. Tokyo = Olympic Photo Collaboration Foundation
The Olympic Village, where the official opening ceremony was held on the 13th, is also sluggish. About 18,000 athletes and officials are expected to use it during the tournament, but most of them are currently vacant as athletes from all over the world postponed their entry as much as possible due to COVID-19. There are hardly any vehicles going to and from the athletes’ village as well as the surrounding roads.
Even the city of Tokyo is so quiet that it is hard to believe that the Olympic Games are just around the corner. It seems to be closely related to the recent surge in the number of new daily confirmed cases of COVID-19. The Japanese government declared a fourth state of emergency in Tokyo with a six-week deadline from the 12th to the 22nd of next month to contain the spread of Corona 19, but the spread is increasing rather than subdued.
On the 15th, from a helicopter, you can hardly see vehicles coming and going on the road in downtown Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo = Olympic Photo Collaboration Foundation
On the 15th, from a helicopter, you can hardly see vehicles coming and going on the road in downtown Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo = Olympic Photo Collaboration Foundation
Under such circumstances, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga met with International Olympic Committee Chairman Thomas Bach, who was visiting Japan on the 14th, and reiterated his resolve to “take all possible measures to make the event a safe and secure event.” However, with more than 3,000 new confirmed cases every day, it is expected that the theory of the use of the Tokyo Olympics will spread even on the opening day.
Tokyo, Japan, seen from a helicopter on the 15th. Due to the surge in the number of COVID-19 cases, no one is visible. Tokyo = Olympic Photo Collaboration Foundation
15 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo = Olympic Photo Collaboration Foundation
Wang Tae-seok senior reporter [email protected]
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