It’s high time Japan reconsider staging the 2021 Tokyo Olympics

Japan might not be one of the worst affected countries in the world but the common folk have had a lot on their mind especially when one of the biggest events of the year takes place in the midst of a pandemic. They've been wondering what would happen when 11,000+ athletes, alongside countless others, from all across the world set foot in July for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. While the echoes from the largest cross-sections of the country have screamed for the Games to be ditched the IOC, already running the show a year late, are adamant to brush away roadblocks, irrespective of the magnitude of repercussions it might have.

Numerous countries are now busy combating fresh waves of Covid-19 cases, which coincides with the rehearsal ahead of the showdown in Tokyo. For the same reason, authorities of lesser affected ones have created a ‘red-list’ aka a list of cities and places where athletes won’t be allowed to fly to or arrive from. This turn of events has already started to hamper the qualification process and in turn dent the competitiveness of the Games, especially when many athletes may not get an opportunity to make the cut.

Exploiting the same rule, the NRAI has sent most of their shooters to Zagreb, for a training-cum-competition tour, from where travelling to Japan would not be an issue. The SAI and other NSF’s, with enviable funds, can afford such luxuries, but the volatility of their counterparts might hinder them to take equal strides. Moreover, individual tournaments work with small sample sizes.

Japan will declare a state of emergency in three more prefectures hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said, in a surprise move reflecting growing concerns about the virus's spread https://t.co/zA3U0uomxk pic.twitter.com/pcCZ2E24MJ

— Reuters (@Reuters) May 14, 2021

But, with 205 nations all making their way into the strip - the IOC can neither create a divide among visiting nations nor can they ensure the complete safety of everyone involved. What does that mean? It means that there is a good chance that many nations many follow North Korea's footsteps, for once, and withdraw from the tournament altogether. 

Agreed, with a robust medical structure, with proper testing facilities sanctioned at entry points could help things, but the vulnerability of testing positive in the first case defeats the purpose. Even if there is a cushion of 24-hours between two successive tests, the concerned person will have enough time to pass over the virus and start a chain reaction with far-reaching consequences. Vaccination is the other way out, but still, there is an iota of danger with the jabs not yet stamped as full-proof solutions. To what extent might the athletes risk themselves, with them knowing that close proximity with various others from around the world cannot be avoided?

Anti-#Olympics protest in Tokyo. The protesters are angry. They tell me it's wrong, even inhumane, for Japan to host the Games when so many people around the world are struggling...amid surging #COVID19 cases in Japan & 1% of population fully vaccinated @cnn @newday @JohnBerman pic.twitter.com/JcPcpS6V6z

— Selina Wang (@selinawangtv) May 17, 2021

But it is believed that the stubbornness of the local organisers has been backed by the financial loss that could be dished out if the event is scrapped. The Tokyo edition is already the most expensive one, as per an Oxford University study that was undertaken last year, and its cost is increasing owing to Covid-19 related precautionary measures. Their uncompromising nature has reached such a carefree level that the LOC and IOC believe that the ‘The question is not whether, the question is how these Olympic Games will take place.’ The dichotomy involved is unhealthy.

But as the world continues to scream and ask them to postpone with tennis legends like Roger Federer and, Japanese star, Naomi Osaka making their voices and their scepticism regarding the Games taking place clear, nothing has changed.

But on the other side of the spectrum, the fear of missing out on maybe the greatest sporting event of their lives has kept more than a few athletes going irrespective of health concerns. However, the safety of the athletes, the Japanese people and maybe even the world should and needs to take front seat for the moment, going by which, the air clearly carries the message - the Olympics cannot happen in these circumstances.

11,000+ athletes from around the globe sharing the same space in one area for 15 days? The risk is too great and the cost that might be incurred could be devastating.