The Tokyo 2020 Olympics are going ahead, despite Japanese unhappiness with the decision, and as more and more athletes and officials test positive for Covid-19 on arrival in the country.
The 2020 Tokyo Games were never going to be an ordinary gathering of the world’s finest athletes, not that any Olympiad is ordinary, because of the scale of the event. But Tokyo 2020 is operating in extraordinary times because of the Covid-19 pandemic, made more difficult by the resistance of the Japanese public.
Japan’s mostly voluntary restrictions have failed to curb the movement of people, which can spread contagion. They have since been released, but it cost Neil Powell’s team two days of preparation. And there is no guarantee it won’t happen again. A player or a close contact could return a positive test, forcing more isolation.
The grizzly scenario of, say, gymnastics queen Simone Biles or South Africa’s Akani Simbine having to isolate and miss their competition time is a reality. It’s almost inevitable that it will happen to athletes sometime during these Games.Another spectre that will haunt the Olympics is that there will be no fans in arenas and stadiums, robbing them of heightened drama.
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