The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.
© Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Suga tells Davos forum Olympics will be symbol of human victory over virus
By MARI YAMAGUCHI TOKYO©2025 GPlusMedia Inc.
73 Comments
Login to comment
JeffLee
If the audiences are absent or drastically scaled back or told to remain silent, and if strict and extensive restrictions are imposed on everyone and everything, it would be a symbol of defeat rather than victory.
sf2k
Ah yes the ever changing symbol of the games. Fukushima recovery? Latest earthquake? Virus? All it is is a symbol of largeese on the public dime to benefit corporations. Was never about people just whatever card to play on sympathy. This changing all the time has the effect of making the games more pathetic unfortunately
andy
What is human victory??i don't think so..
World is trying to cope with virus..This is a matter of life and death.
just cancel it.
Kev James
What utter nonsense by a lame, out of touch old man. Hosting the Olympics doesn’t give me “hope and courage”. When will this glorified “Japanese sports day” saga end?
Peter Neil
Let's try to rewrite the headline. I'll go first.
Suga tells Davos forum Olympics will be symbol of government helping big companies get mo money
Suga tells Davos forum Olympics will be symbol of human obsession with nonsense
Suga tells Davos forum Olympics will be symbol of human stubbornness
Suga tells Davos forum Olympics will be symbol of human dumbness
Beren_g
Didn't last year ex prime minister Abe and his cabinet used the same tone of "don't worry it's all OK, we will triumph and the game will go as scheduled" and then......
Games without people are not games at all.
Anyway people's lives are more important than company profits. Or maybe.......?
plasticmonkey
The Olympics must be held at all costs . . .
to the taxpayers.
Strikebreaker555
A very floaty statement!
Just focus on recovering the broken and scarce Japanese economy with debt reaching a staggering 300% of GDP at an alarming rate. The olympics will be anything but a victory I'm afraid. Even the cost of hosting the olympics has exploded to nearly 15,5 billion US dollars from previously 12 billion US dollars.
Cancel it before thing gets out of control with regard to the virus and the economy.
sf2k
Everyone is just being polite, no one believes anything
Michael Machida
More like a complete disaster. Funny how they do not seem to put peoples lives before profit. I have asked over 50 Japanese nationals if they think the Tokyo Olympics should happen this year or even next year. 98% of the Japanese citizens I asked responded with either they simply just do not want the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 or in 2022 or they told me that the Japanese Government should cancel it and to just forget about it since people are literally suffering due to COVID-19.
Oxycodin
I don’t understand how anyone could listen to this man with a smile. Do I really think the way suga and ldp has handled the covid situation here in Japan with the Olympic is going to suddenly destroy covid off the face of this planet and call it victorious?
Mr Kipling
Suga San showing the world his human side and that he has a wonderful sense of humor! :)
Sadly few others in Japan go along with his mirth.
Akie
"Suga tells Davos forum Olympics will be symbol of human victory over virus".
Virus will be always there even after million years. It is mother nature, has nothing to do with the Olympics.
Haaa Nemui
More so than ever before, the Olympics being held this year will be a symbol of the desires of a few outweighing the needs of the many.
Oxycodin
Just host the Olympic and get it done and over with so It won’t affect me as I will not be a customer and definitely will not even watch it on TV
Derek Grebe
He also promised to expand an initial $130 million contribution to a fund.
Wouldn't it be nice if some of this bountiful magic money, always available, were to be spent on pensions, education, and daycare for working parents?
It always seems to just disappear into unaccountable, never to be audited, pork barrel schemes.
Funny, that.
Sven Asai
What has inviting of tens of thousands of virus carriers or even potential infected and in addition holding a very big superspreading event to do with solidarity or victory? Does he want to endanger own people and risk next shutdowns of important Tokyo metropolitan area or whole Kanto? A dangerous, stubborn man, or if not he then his greedy entourage that leads him from background.
dbsaiya
As the world celebrates human victory, the Japanese are left to clean up after the party with spikes in infections and crippling taxes. All hail to the LDP...
yokohamarides
Illusion is everything.
Chico3
Yeah right! More like profit and self-interest over virus and human life.
rcch
“Human victory”? Excuse me but the only thing Japan cares about is Japan. In this case, money money money.
The “Come here leave your money and then get the h-ll out” mentality is a very Japanese thing.
You’re not fooling us with your pretty words Suga you sleepy old man.
dagon
And Japan's rising rate of suicides, bankruptcies and poverty and food banks are symbols of the defeat of the Japanese response to the pandemic.
Aly Rustom
Suga tells Davos forum Olympics will be symbol of human victory over virus
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
especially when the cases spike after the games..
Aly Rustom
weren't these idiots originally touting the games as a way to give Tohoku people hope and courage? Ended up taking away much needed construction from Tohoku to Tokyo.
And after the games are over, we will see the damage done to not only Japan but around the world due to the rise in infections. But don't worry- LDP scumbags alongside the biggest scumbag of all, Tom Bach, will have gotten their money at the expense of the people.
James
Until several olympians and spectators die because of covid-19
yoshisan88
This is from an online news site:
‘WE’LL ALL PAY THE PRICE’: Virus warning amid global vaccine war
A global war over vaccines is heating up, with the World Health Organisation saying it could impact the world’s recovery from COVID-19
The European Commission has slapped an immediate export ban on coronavirus vaccines to ensure European citizens can be vaccinated first.
I believe victory is still very, very far away.
u_s__reamer
We want substance not symbols. What's Suga going to do for the millions sinking into poverty and despair? Let them watch the Olympics on TV?
vanityofvanities
We can well understand the reason why Suga repeats such a silly nonsense when we read together the story "Insurers face large loss..." Japan's original intention of holding the Olympic was to revive Japan's economy. From the beginning, the intention of Japan did not serve the true spirit of the Olympic.
N. Knight
Nothing like digging yourself a massive hole.
And then when you realize you have dug quite deep (but possibly might have a slim chance of climbing out) just carry on digging!!
pepelepew
What?
Vaccination will be symbol of human victory over virus.
Fuzzy
Aren't you supposed to win BEFORE claiming victory?
A.M.
Ga-su-, if you think people are dumb, you're grossly mistaken. People can tell when someone is BS ing.
HBJ
A typical political statement of nothingness.
The only thing holding the Olympics will symbolize is the inherent ability of humans to be stubborn and greedy. Trillions of extra yennage spent on something so trivial and unnecessary except for the interests of big business.
A genuine human victory over the virus would be for all countries to band together to share financing and knowledge to make sure every single person in the world has access to a vaccine as quickly as humanly possible. Exclusivity contracts for vaccines, priority delivery for certain countries etc. etc. is hardly human victory.
Yes, but how about learning lessons from what's going on right now to apply to the crisis that is going on right now? That might be a good start.
mariasjapan
Insanely hilarious! Wake up and smell the coffee!!!
Stev
The virus won't dissappear at this moment.Instead of giving false hope, just cancelled it already Mr.Suga.
Alan Harrison
*Vaccination** will be symbol of human victory over virus.*
Correct, with or without Japan or the Olympics.
Garthgoyle
Suga is nothing but a "yes-man." Yes boss, I can do that, yes, yes, yes... But in reality no, not really can do.
kohakuebisu
This sounds like George W Bush and "Mission Accomplished".
It's bad enough burning lots of public money on a corrupt circus without throwing in (vastly premature) triumphalism.
HenryK
More like human sacrifice.
Pukey2
sf2k:
Yes, indeed. Does anyone remember Fukushima? Wasn't the games all for that. Unfortunately that's been swept under the rug. Or, should I say, swept into the ocean.
Ego Sum Lux Mundi
Great job Suga! If you want a nice Latin motto for your Games, I propose the following:
Ludi sine populo non sunt ludi
OssanAmerica
Very unlikely. If they had staggered to 2024 it very well might have been a symbol of victory and possibly the most celebrated Olympics in history. But 2021....? Don't think so.
dan
The man talks outta his backside as per usual!!!
Ricky Kaminski13
Ossan* my sentiments exactly. Simplest way to go was to bump it back till 2024. Give everyone time to breathe and then yes, possibly the biggest celebration of the Olympics ever then! France 2028 , all doable....
Ascissor
I thought it was the Davros forum, since Suga speaks like a dying dalek.
justasking
It's official. Suga is a clown.
Luddite
This is embarrassing. Truly.
human among robots
That is a very eerie photo....
TARA TAN KITAOKA
Totally out of line explanation.
spinningplates
Was going to type a lengthy opinion about why Australia can host events, and Japan shouldn’t...but, who cares?
Go ahead, Olympics get your damn TV revenue and recover what you can from kick backs, for those you’ve bribed, bought, and loaned from.
Anyone else feel completely turned off by the ‘Olympics’?
quercetum
Blind optimism. This is like celebrating passing the university entrance before you know you’ve been accepted or visiting your sick uncle in the hospital and bringing a six pack of beer to drink with him.
Jandworld
“a symbol of human victory over the pandemic”
This sounds like out of a reality show rather than a farming background. So trumped up.
Kumagaijin
I think its going to take more than 60 vaccinations per hour and fewer consultations in order to declare victory and defeat the virus. Moreover, whats Japan's contribution been?
That said, why not integrate the vaccinations with the Olympics? Have an event to find out which doctors can vaccinate the fastest and use their method.
Seth M
What an utter nonsense. This farce of gatherings should've been cancelled and it should happen now!
hatsufred
@Haaa Nemuri ‘a symbol of the desires of a few outweighing the needs of the many’ perfectly put
BertieWooster
More likely to be a symbol of virus over Suga!
smithinjapan
Okay.... so, so far they are a symbol of how Japan overcame the nuclear attacks at the end of WWII, then it was a symbol of reconstruction after the 3/11 disasters (despite most of that still not having taken place), and now it's also a symbol of human victory over the virus despite the fact it hasn't even started to peak yet? Is this like Trump's "tired of winning"?
ZENJI
WRONG, WRONG WRONG !!!!
drlucifer
Some developing countries Seychelles for example have already started vaccinating their citizens. While Japan is talking how it is taihen.
Tom
The world's biggest super spreader event on home soil is nothing to be proud of. Cut the losses now.
Andrew Franz
Only one problem, the virus has lapped all of the other competitors.
Meanwhile Xi Jinping, keynote speaker says ""Rules should be followed by all"..
Should he be calculating his liability?
"Virus cost global tourism $1.3 trillion in 2020: U.N" - Reported by JapanToday
WilliB
Hold those silly Olympics already! Very few visitors are coming here, so stadiums and hotels will be empty anyway. But the athletes have trained for this for years, and they deserve to get their chance.
Everything is online these days anyway, so why not this.