tokyo 2020 olympics

As teams pull out of training camps, Olympics buzz fades

38 Comments
By Tetsushi Kajimoto and Daniel Leussink

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Although there is little Olympic buzz in host city Tokyo, 

Most of the cancelations so far have been in the 500 or so municipalities involved in the Olympics "host town" program, in which foreign teams base their pre-Games training in Japanese facilities.

Buzz only happens in Tokyo.

11 ( +12 / -1 )

Thanks Japan for stuffing up the Olympics. Worst host ever.

18 ( +28 / -10 )

It is ok! The Olympics will still be great!

-44 ( +2 / -46 )

42 Russian gymnasts 

shouldn't that read: 42 formerly-known-as-Russian gymnasts ?

https://japantoday.com/category/tokyo-2020-olympics/world-athletics-approves-23-russians-to-compete-as-neutrals

18 ( +19 / -1 )

Hopefully it’ll fade to nothing soon. It’s sure as hell not going to fade from peoples memories as the greediest, most pathetic olympics in history.

28 ( +29 / -1 )

70 million yen spent to host a team of Russian gymnasts? What a waste of taxpayers’ money!

31 ( +33 / -2 )

Russians - proven systemic dopers - should not even be allowed to compete, even under the IOC flag.

6 ( +15 / -9 )

Your comment earlier was more on point @OlympicSupport 7:18am. The Tokyo Olympics will be...

*- “Wonderdul!” -*

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

So sorry for the Japanese people ‘in the rest of the country’. They were asked to ‘set up for the big party’ but ‘you’re not invited to the festivities’.

By the way:

Here’s the bill. - WE had a nice time.”

14 ( +17 / -3 )

A ludicrous waste of money that’ll be coming out of our pockets.

18 ( +20 / -2 )

The mention that this kind training camps bring a huge economic boost to local cities or prefectures is a myth or a lie. I should know as i organised many.

in the case of the Russian gym training camp for example. Local municipalities would offer the hotel for free and often also local transportation. They provide equipment and venue for training, free or at very low cost.Even without covid the athletes don’t spend money. There are no pre event tests or so small they are of no consequence. So, no revenue in that.No fans, even without covid to mention and very little press. And after a few weeks everyone outside of the city forgets the city ever hosted a team. That goes for 95 % of the camps. There are exceptions. I brought the Belgian national football team to Kumamoto in 2002 but had nearly all paid by private Japanese sponsors which i sourced and the town did get revenue because i organised a test game prior to the WC in Kumamoto. But as far as these olympics go the most common result is costs and expenses, no financial benefits to speak off. Very little in PR and image gain but, normally, some interaction between athletes and town.

19 ( +19 / -0 )

50-70 or so people in a training camp are supposed to provide a huge economic boost ? Out of pandemic times they would likely buy stuff at the conbini, go to some restaurants and buy souvenirs, but I doubt it would be such a boost to the towns, especially if you consider the cost involved in preparing everything for them.

The winners here are the companies that were paid to upgrade equipment. 70 million yens on bars, mats and other upgrades (which must be more minor, otherwise they would be listed first). Seems like the town was massively overcharged.

16 ( +17 / -1 )

Thanks Japan for stuffing up the Olympics

you can thank China for stuffing it up.

That’s where the Covid-19 pandemic all began.

-7 ( +8 / -15 )

7 weeks ago have they considered doing a lockdown in Tokyo and doing some contact tracking, tracing and isolating? Could easily eliminate covid in a 3 week period and have a full month of covid free city before the Olympics then 3 weeks during it. Super simple and easy but it seems that the will is not there.

5 ( +8 / -3 )

you can thank China for stuffing it up. 

That’s where the Covid-19 pandemic all began.

No proof of that unless you watch Fox/CNN constantly.

it was found in European sewage samples about 6 months before it arrived in Wuhan around the time of the World Military Games.

i go for the bat theory, but google Fort Detrick, as well

-9 ( +4 / -13 )

I was in Tokyo this week.

There is no buzz.

10 ( +12 / -2 )

Omuta, a town north of Kumamoto, was set to host the Kenya team but yanked the welcome mat. I'm trying to work with my town to host them, but you know how it goes when you suggest something a little unconventional in this country. Likely, they'll have to go straight from the plane to competition with no time to acclimate, not good for long-distance runners.

-3 ( +4 / -7 )

The national government earmarked 13 billion yen for municipalities to host training camps while imposing coronavirus measures, officials said.

Municipalities apart from Tokyo were expected to see a boost of about 12 trillion yen through 2030 from the Games, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government said in a March 2017 estimate.

My reading comprehension may be out, but the estimate says that the amount Z spent on training camps would return 1000 times Z within ten years?

We are supposed to believe that Tanaka City hosting the random country-random sport team will create that much economic activity? If this 12 trillion is a (hilariously optimistic) boost in tourism to Japan, that is not going exclusively to Tanaka City and the other places hosting the teams. Tanaka City etc. would be better off doing something tourists want, not whatever the random country-random sport team wants.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

Laguna, with respects for your well intended efforts but here is what should have been done under normal circumstances.

NOT go to Kyushi as Kenya’s Athletics contingent are nearly exclusive mid and long distance track and road runners, you choose the coolest possible place, Hokkaido, preferably a seaside location, not the hottest and most humid( i worked with Kumamoto but with soccer teams)

otherwise there is an adaptation from Kyushu to Hokkaido again. And Hokkaido hosts the marathons. For the track runners also better from Hokkaido to Tokyo from the basecamp. Best is to arrive 3 weeks before the marathon( now impossible), run a half marathon or road 10km as final preparation to feel the air and temp conditions under race circumstances, at the end of the 1st week of arriving, 2 weeks before the olympic race.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

"Experts" and organiser keep going on about this illusive boost to XYZ area's economy from hosting the games or some part of the games.

But in reality this has only ever happened once.

Only the 2008 LA games because they basically just used the facilities and infrastructure they already had.

Beijing cost $40 billion generated to date $ 3.6 billion.

1976 Montreal Olympics were such a financial fiasco that it took a special tax imposed on the population and 30 years to pay off the Dept.

Get ready for an Olympic dept tax once the meds is over.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

No proof of that unless you watch Fox/CNN constantly

Australia 60 minutes did a story on it earlier this year.

10 Chinese workers contracted the exact same disease ten years ago, while cleaning up bat faeces in a cave.

All the workers, & the disease, we’re taken & kept at the Wuhan laboratory

2 ( +2 / -0 )

The Olympics is a shipwreck of one of the most dangerous kind. The ship comes apart slowly until it ceases to whither and breaks apart and dies.

Presume Coates will go down with the Olympics?

In retrospect, the idea of hosting the Olympics in the midst of a pandemic will be seen by most as quite mad.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

thought I had tinnitus..... but it must have been the olympic buzz I was hearing. (⌒▽⌒)

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Vaccinated people who get the virus have a better chance of just being a-systematic 

Umm.....you mean asymptomatic.....

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Municipalities apart from Tokyo were expected to see a boost of about 12 trillion yen through 2030 from the Games, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government said in a March 2017 estimate.

Well, You can kiss all this forecast "sayonara!" Here's a thought, instead of spending your time whining, move your focus towards auctioning whatever you can to make up for the loss, and then use it on COVID-19 inoculation centers and mitigation measures.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@klausdorth

I completely agree. It blows my mind to read comments from people like Olympic Support who appear happy to see the country in which we live blow trillions of yen of our tax money for the “glory” of seeing a few athletes jump over a fence or cycle around a track for a couple of weeks.

Not to mention the risk of a huge spike in infections and the associated problems that will bring.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

The Japanese people never quite felt the ‘buzz’- more mascots needed or something like that?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Omuta, a town north of Kumamoto, was set to host the Kenya team but yanked the welcome mat. 

Lives saved is lives lost? It’s a worldwide pandemic! Surely you should protect your village. I’ve been to next to Omuta, many old people. They are a risk group. Very nice people but I can’t eat the offered horse meat...

my point, these athletes run far and can spread. There are many kinds of the virus.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

@expat

People should remember this when the next general election is held and vote the LDP out.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

At this point, I'm outright embarrassed for the Japanese and their never-ending quest to have a MONEY-MAKING Olympics in the midst of Pandemic-cancelled events, truncated torch relays, disinvitations to the world community of spectators, unfair limitations on non-Japanese participants, and the endless, craven, non-stop salivating over Money, Money, Money!! It's beyond disgusting!

Notice a trend in all this "Olympic Spirit"??

"...$pent 70 million yen ($640,000)...national government earmarked 13 billion yen for municipalitie$ to host training camp$...Municipalitie$ were expected to $ee a boo$t of about 12 trillion yen...Training camp$ will give a huge impul$e to the economie$ of town$ and citie$, but that i$ being lo$t...$uch cancellation$ could add to the pain for town$ and region$ that are already $marting from a drop-off in touri$m....worrie$ $he could lo$e about 60 booking$...it would cau$e a huge lo$$..."

2 ( +4 / -2 )

To say the buzz is fading implies that there was a buzz, to begin with. Absolutely no buzz where I am. Unless you count that anti-Olympic/anti-government buzz which is certainly not fading.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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