Questions and answers
The summer games in Japan
100 days until the Olympic games in Tokyo: what are the risk games?
The rings of the Olympic games stand in front of the rainbow bridge in the Odaiba Marine Park in Tokyo (archive photo)
© kyodo / REUTERS
Olympia in Tokyo – the Notspiele under strict conditions. In about 100 days, the summer games are scheduled to be opened, but the Corona situation is more threatening. Although the hosts invest in security, many questions are still open.
For the Olympic creators of Tokyo, the time is in the fight of trust and a viable rescue package for the Not-the summer games in Japan. 100 days remain to the organizers on Wednesday, marriage in the Olympic stadium, the flame for the controversial games in the sign of the pandemic inflamed to be. “We will do our Utmost for the measures against the Coronavirus”, said Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga just got back. Alfons Hörmann, the chief of the German Olympic sports Confederation, however, said the “world on Sunday”: “The games are subject to the greatest risk in their recent history. Everything else would be nice to talk.”
How is the Corona situation in Tokyo?
Only in mid-March, a two-month state of emergency for the Metropolitan area of Tokyo had been cancelled. Since then, the number of new infections is increasing noticeably. Therefore, the measures for the capital were tightened again. In the Prefecture of Osaka was last updated even explains the medical emergency because the hospitals are infected due to the spread of those were overwhelmed virus variants. The vaccination campaign has been slow, only a few of the 126 million Japanese are not so far been fully vaccinated.
How to respond to the organizers on the Situation?
“Our first and foremost priority is to provide a safe and secure environment, with a view to Covid-19”, said the organisation boss, Seiko Hashimoto, most recently, in a guest post for the US channel NBC. Therefore, foreign Olympia is denied Fans the entry, more than 600,000 Tickets were officially sold actually been to foreigners. Also, the number of helpers, officials and guests of sponsors and associations from abroad should be drastically reduced. For all registered Participants a series of handbooks to June created, which define in Detail the behavior rules for entry and stay. The goal is to create an Olympic bubble, and to minimize contacts to Tokyo’s population.
You can go to the Olympic torch relay as planned?
About 10,000 runners to carry the torch, as in a season by all 47 prefectures, the marriage on 23. July is lit at the Olympic stadium with the fire. Because of the concern of the spread of the Coronavirus, the Japanese will be possible only on the Internet. At the track just clapped must not be cheered. For larger gatherings of people of a crash, the stage is imminent. Several prominent canceled their participation. Due to the emergency measures in Osaka, the section has been deleted by the Region, instead of Osaka’s center of the run should lead isolated by the Expo ’70 Commemorative Park in Suita. Such a scenario could repeat itself in the next few weeks, to other stations.
What is the competitions to the Test?
To Check the processes and for the Review of the Corona measures the organizers for April and may have a set of 18 test competitions for the Olympic and Paralympic games. Irritation but there was in Tokyo planned Olympic qualifications are jumping in the water, synchronized swimming and open water swimming. After a short-term cancellation of the competitions are to be held later. Has been deleted, the scheduled course of the German slalom canoeist on the Olympic channel in Tokyo. The already tricky preparation of many athletes is complicated by such uncertainties, in addition.
How do the athletes with the situation?
The majority of the athletes in hopes that the games can take place. Finally, they have come for years to Olympia, part of your life and career planning tailored to Tokyo. But many also fear for their health and criticize the ongoing uncertainty. “To you of tremendous pressure,” said the club’s athletes to Germany in a recent position paper. The National Olympic Committee have almost say, without exception, to participate in Tokyo, only North Korea has so far not.
What is the role of the Vaccination?
The world is very different Impftempo is a reason for many debates. Thus, countries such as Russia, Hungary, Israel, or Mexico, athletes prefer to vaccinate, other States have ruled that out. A late vaccination may interfere with the form of construction of the athletes. Without vaccination, the Corona-risk travels to Japan, even in the case of carers, volunteers and journalists. The International Olympic Committee by using China offered vaccination with a Chinese vaccine is controversial and already in many countries because of the lack of approval is not possible. Large parts of the Japanese population will be in July and August, are still unprotected. Doctors warn that the games in the worst case, the super-spreader event, and new virus could produce variants.
Could Olympics to be postponed once?
This is very unlikely. Alone the laying of a year, the cost to the organisers for additional expenditure for Rent, personnel, equipment, and storage areas around 1.6 billion euros. These will cost more to raise Japan one more Time. Also for the Corona measures have already invested many millions in the preparation of the summer games, which would then be lost. In addition, Japan’s Olympic makers have asserted again and again that the Play is a sign of the victory against Corona set. This icon play now, of all things, the political arch-rival of China in the winter in Beijing to leave in February 2022, would be for the Japanese, an additional extreme pain.
