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Tick-Tock: Tokyo Olympics hit the 200-days-to-go mark

32 Comments
By STEPHEN WADE and YURI KAGEYAMA

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32 Comments
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I was always a fan of the Olympics.

Was happy to hear Japan will host in 2020.

Then, this disaster happened called Covid19.

Now, I'm more concerned about daily cases increase, getting the vaccine as fast as possible. Our economy to rebound, people to get out and resume their life which has been on pause for the past year.

2 ( +6 / -4 )

Olympics, saying it would be “proof that people have overcome the coronavirus.”

Is it really for that?

However, several government audits the last few years suggest the real number is about $25 billion.All but $6.7 billion is public money.

So where those money will go?

15 ( +16 / -1 )

It' ain't happening

13 ( +16 / -3 )

How’s that old 60s song go? Dreaaam, dream dream dreeeeeam, dreeaaam dream dream dream.

11 ( +13 / -2 )

More people are sick than last year, how are they planning to do this?

15 ( +16 / -1 )

Suga said the Olympics would be proof that people have overcome the coronavirus. But we’re far from overcoming the pandemic yet.

15 ( +15 / -0 )

Still throwing good money after bad.

It would be cute that some people still think the Olympics are going to happen, except for all the wasted money.

Mori is a former prime minister, but from what I remember, was one of the least popular ever. Maybe I'm wrong. It's been a while.

14 ( +14 / -0 )

Some medical experts say the vaccine and its effects will not be in place by July even with a speeded up approval, and rapid release. Maybe by the end of 2021. Most countries are first giving the vaccine to the elderly, health care workers, and those in at-risk categories; Olympic athletes are not in any of those categories.

Japan, on the other hand, has yet to approve a vaccine. If it does this month or next, and follows the same elderly-health care workers-at risk pattern, “normal” people will not be vaccinated by July. Will Japan use a different roll out method: Athletes, judges, Olympic volunteers first?

16 ( +17 / -1 )

Game Over

8 ( +9 / -1 )

At this point it is not possible to have two contradictory priorities on top, to keep pushing the olympics above the public health and economic recovery from the pandemic is not something that people is taking kindly. Solve first the gravest of the problems and then you can begin to talk about how to support an international event.

Some medical experts say the vaccine and its effects will not be in place by July even with a speeded up approval, and rapid release. Maybe by the end of 2021. Most countries are first giving the vaccine to the elderly, health care workers, and those in at-risk categories; Olympic athletes are not in any of those categories.

This, Japan is no special case, and the terribly low pace of adaptation makes it realistically impossible to have any kind of significative immunization done by the time the olympic games are supposed to be held.

10 ( +11 / -1 )

My questions to the ones that think Olympics must be staged are: Which athletes do you think are going to come? They had no chance to practice to full extent and therefore not ready or unable to come due to virus restrictions. Who is crazy enough to actually attend this event? The ones who are ignorant enough to think this virus is a myth? And finally if an athlete wins an event and gets a gold medal, what does that medal represent, knowing that he/she did not compete against athletes who are in top condition? Absolutely NOTHING! that medal is worthless!!! But then, Japanese don't care how they get medals as long as they get them... So my suggestion is, just Japan compete with themselves and that way get ALL the medals, everybody will be sooooooo happy and this amazing athletic feat would be entered as a Guinness World Record for the world to laugh at for the rest of time!!!

9 ( +10 / -1 )

flogging a dead horse basically

11 ( +11 / -0 )

2021 Olympics: J Gov has won the gold again for bad ideas.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

This, Japan is no special case, and the terribly low pace of adaptation makes it realistically impossible to have any kind of significative immunization done by the time the olympic games are supposed to be held.

Oh, I do believe there will be significant immunization in Japan by then from natural infection.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

So if looks like $19 billion is tax payers' money. What a money pit. Japan didn't need the Olympics to increase visitors to Japan. It is already ranked one if the top tourist destinations in the world. A fool and his money is soon parted.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Tokyo has budgeted $800 million for ticket sales, and any shortfall will have to be made up by government entities, which are footing most of the Olympic bills.

The official budget for the Tokyo Olympics was increased last month to $15.4 billion, an increase of $2.8 billion because of the delay. However, several government audits the last few years suggest the real number is about $25 billion.

Just wanted to highlight the fact that even if things had gone as planned, they were going to spend 25 billion dollars on an event that at best would generate 800 million dollars in ticket sales.

Of course the TV broadcast rights are worth a lot more, but the IOC gets to pocket all of that, not the Japanese government (taxpayers) who are footing the bill for all of this.

Such a corrupt rip off.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Who is going to come? How are they going to get here?

6 ( +6 / -0 )

If the Government could be bothered doing testing to a world standard i am sure the real numbers would stop anyone from coming.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Mass rollout of vaccines will be in July. Japan and IOC need to man-up and make hard decisions.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

How anyone can support these Olympics while the common citizen is being economically mauled by any shutdown just boggles my mind.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

I am an expert, and also represent, in various forms, over 30 National Olympic Committees.  I have been saying since this time last year, the games had to be postponed for 2020 and now cancelled for 2021.  They actually already impossible to hold for just practical reasons.

I also think people like Kawabuchi San and Mori San should be held personally liable if the Games go ahead as the Olympic Village is completely unacceptable in pandemic times and the Opening Ceremonies, as I have been saying for over a year, and now confirmed by Mori San, are only because of the US tv rights holders. They need the time to air some of their most expensive advertisements. For, that people will get sick, god forbid, die.  Those are simple facts.

One of the most common, and even in the best case scenario, untrue excuses to hold the Games for a city, are the economic " returns".  They are always overestimated by 3 or 4 while the costs are always underestimated by the same factors.  But right now, the costs are the same ( not much higher because of the postponement, that is a Dentsu ruse ) and income is reduced, for the LOC, to only local ticketing and sponsorships.

There will be no worthwhile international ticket sales, no hotel, restaurant, or merchandise revenue. No commerciale airline traffic, no noticeable servicing or activation expenditure by the major sponsors.

The ONLY way to have some positive spin is to cancel as soon as possible, so that ethical and moral values can save the day for the loss of income and the costs incurred. But , I do not hold my breath. It will not be announced before the end of February.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

I believe the Olympics should be scrapped and the money should go to support workers and small businesses shuttered during a proper State of Emergency.

Unfortunately for many of Japan's leaders their selfish desire to move forward with the Olympics takes precedence. I believe the point has been reached or we have passed the point where it is a smarter economic decision to cancel the Olympics.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

The tv stations have contracted, but wouldn’t there be a clause that says if the event does not happen due to unintended circumstances that they do not have to honor the contract, and the insurance companies must pay?

Sumitomo life and other insurance companies must be shaking in their boots as they would have to cough out a ton of Yen should that happen.

Athletes are insured...all events of major proportions are insured.

So I wish they would stop with this story line.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Come on Tokyo! Have some dignity and cancel the faceless games already.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Vaccinations not set to start for another 50 days or so, and 200 days until the Olympics? Can 90% of the population acquire immunity in less than 150 days? Theoretically yes, but in reality, no.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

These people are either very persistent, very stupid, or living in denial. Cancel the darn thing already! Move on!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Cancel the count!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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