Some medical experts unconvinced about holding Tokyo Olympics

The number of COVID-19-related deaths in Japan is about 9,000 - far fewer than many countries - but Sugaya stressed the number is among the highest in Asia.

An inconvenient truth stated by Dr Sugaya that many refuse to hear. Furthermore, the trajectory of infections is going up. Mass vaccination is many, many months away.

Cancel or postpone the Olympics, or else accept Tokyo 2021 will be the worst Games since 1936.

Uh didn't They say that there will be no overseas Visitors? Which is it?

Please read the article. It clearly explains the tens of thousands of visitors.

@moderator:

Targeting anyone particular are we?

Aside from the obvious medical perspective against the games, from a purely business perspective these games should have also been cancelled last year. If any Joe Blow Tanaka businessman had a cost overrun similar to the games the project would have been terminated and the person fired. Bach just wants to keep his 75% of the TV rights, everything else be damned. Japan's take was at the gates but since this has significantly decreased there's no further monetary incentive to hold the games except to line the pockets of the IOC. Wake up Japan!

You don’t say!!

If only the government and all those involved in organizing and pushing forward this event could see past the yen signs to the obvious danger this could bring to the country.

Imagine living in a country where it is more clear than ever that ¥ comes before the safety of others...oh wait...here we live!

Japan is dangerous, not a safe place at all

Things in Japan got rather weird rather quickly.

Indeed ..it isn't that different from seeing people walking with AK47s outside is it ...

Sending 10s of thousand Olympians to compete here is utter madness if you ask me. Who will treat their injuries if we get 100 severe c19 cases .

"The risks are high in Japan. Japan is dangerous, not a safe place at all."

Flatly contradicting everything our esteemed leaders have been telling us up till now.

And the medical board has had a year to increase staff. Beds. Equipment yet have done almost nothing.

That is an excellent argument against the health system preparation, but it does nothing to prove that it is prepared to treat a sudden increase of complicated cases, it only proves that it had time to prepare, but it didn't.

At this point the situation is quite clear, at one side you have officials saying without any proof that the games will be safe, on the other you have experts using the (very limited) data that proves the spreading is not under control to say the games cannot be held without increasing the risk without justification.

Governments just ignoring professionals and thinking about the money... human life seems so wasteful

How many times have we heard of PM Suga, Gov. Koike, and others saying they are holding meetings with "experts"? Too many to count. I suppose they had the meetings and then just ignored what the "experts" said. Or maybe their "experts" were pre-approved by Dentsu, the JOC, and the IOC.

Hospital systems are stretched, especially in hardest hit areas such as Tokyo.

That's complete B.S

40 icu patients should not mean the hospital system is stretched.

In the 1st,2nd 3rd wave,

80%plus of hospitals refused to treat coronavirus.

peak in patients levels were a fraction of other countries.

And the medical board has had a year to increase staff. Beds. Equipment yet have done almost nothing.

@gogogogogogogo

Beijing is holding the subsequent Olympics. It is critically important to the govt that Japan not be shown up by China. That is the priority. Public health comes second.

Common sense, but those in charge won’t listen.

Japanese news agency Kyodo has reported, citing unidentified sources, that 90,000 people are expected to enter Japan from abroad. About 30,000 of those are Olympic and Paralympic athletes, coaches, staff and officials.

That leaves 60,000, and Kyodo said the plan is to cut that to about 30,000, many of whom would be news media.

So 30,000 news media are going to come all the way here and then sit out the whole event in their hotel rooms? Even supposing the 'optimistic' figure of 60,000 inbound is enforced (how's that going to work with the 2000-a-day entry quota? Will some have to come weeks and weeks early in order to get in?) And then you have ?hundreds? of thousands of (local) spectators, travelling, criss-crossing the country, massing together and sharing it around.

I wonder, what could possibly go wrong here?

Gold, silver and bronze - the fiscal currency of the Modern Olympic games!

HimariYamada:

Excuse me, Dr Sugaya, but is not India, Indonesia and the Philippines in Asia?

You conveniently left off EVERY other Asian country in your list. There are over 45 countries in Asia!

Shall we make a similar list with East Asian countries close to China only. The second worst is South Korea. Guess who tops the list with more than five times the number of deaths?

"Tens of thousands of foreigners are going to be entering the country, including mass media, in a short period of time," Sugaya said, "the challenges are going to be enormous."

No spectators are allowed, so I don't think that tens of thousands of foriegners will be entering Japan. Most countries have not made a final decision yet as to whether or not they will attend.

Cancel or postpone the Olympics, or else accept Tokyo 2021 will be the worst Games since 1936.

Convid-19 or no Convid-19, I think that the Tokyo Olympics would be the worst Olympics since 1936.

Major sport events have been held overseas and can be held, but the problem is more about the logistics and how to keep everyone in a bubble. It is at 100% impossible. But all the ones coming here will have PCR tests before and after arrival and are supposed to be negative so the risk is actually low. Of course, some vips will keep off the rules.....

In major sports in Europe, pro athletes have a PCR nearly every week and/or before every races.

All this nightmare makes the Olympics should be postponed and held in better conditions

I noticed this is an AP article, and not a product of the Dentsu propaganda machine. I hope it gets picked up and read all around the world.

Zoroto hits the bullseye here.

It is encouraging that most Japanese do not want the Games in spite of the false reassurances the government, Kyodo, and Dentsu are giving them. Most Japanese are not getting the type of reporting given in this article.

According to their projections, daily infection cases in Tokyo will total more than 1,000 people by May, peaking in July, right about the time the Olympics are on. Daily cases have hovered at about 300 people for Tokyo lately.

So they foresee another wave (which may have already started) in spite of more people spending time outdoors or with open windows as the weather improves. I won't question their expertise or methods, but how depressing to see this go on and on. And also mitigatable if vaccination could be rolled out.

Cancel or postpone the Olympics, or else accept Tokyo 2021 will be the worst Games since 1936.

I think the '72 games in Munich were probably the worst. If you were an athlete or spectator at the '36 Berlin Olympics, you probably thought they were quite successful. Its only now that many people say '36 was the worst because they were "Hitler's Olympics" and people feel obligated to say anything Hitler did was terrible and the worst. However, some consider the games to be the most visually spectacular and impressive Games in sporting history. Moreover, some of the Nazis’ flourishes would go on to become regular fixtures at future Olympics. So, I would say they were the second worst Olympics. Tokyo 2020 could still top them both though.

What Olympics???

If any Joe Blow Tanaka businessman 

Hey!

I am unconvinced too.

vaccinating 50-70%

Right now it is about 1% in Japan compared to 70% in Israel. Start was slow, ordering was late, contradictory statements from the health ministry, and now roll out is frustratingly slooooow. My father-in-law is 82 with heart problems and high blood pressure. There are no signs at all that there will be any vaccine available here for the over 65s by the 12th of April!

Hold a multi week sporting event in a global pandemic. What could possibly go wrong?

I think it's not only the health experts that are unconvinced, but 80% of the population. So let's just say the vast majority of people, with the notable exception of the local Government, JOC officials, Mr. Bach himself, and athletes that are eager to compete for a medal despite the risks and the prospect of Olympic Games that will defy the spirit that the Games should be all about, bringing people and cultures together and having a good time while enjoying world class sport.

Why would ANY medical experts be convinced that holding the Olympics is a great idea?

From a medical perspective, how could this ever possibly be a good thing? Or are most of them just afraid to challenge the overlords.

Gold, silver and bronze - the fiscal currency of the Modern Olympic games!

FYI. Bronze will be replaced by Bitcoin.

Number of Covid-19 total cases in Japan is 39th in the world, more than Lebanon, less than Morocco. and mortality in Japan is more than even US.

It is worst level as advanced country of Asia-Oceania.

Number of Olympians who will visit to Japan are beyond average number of poor PCR test of present Japan, therefore Japan has no even minimum ability to hold "safe and secure" Olympics.

Deceptive torch relay avoids inconvenient places where are maintained to have been destroyed or contaminated, Japan's weakened major media only beautify this problematic Olympics.

Tokyo 2020 tries to victimize innumerable people to defend benefit of advertisement company Dentsu, large corporation sponsors, Suga Government and ruling party LDP who want to exploit Olympics politically or economically.

 "tens of thousands" a bit of a stretch - but most of THEM are likely to be vaccinated. 

Where do you get your data from? Most will NOT be vaccinated.

Well, okay, everything put together perhaps 20,000 foreigners will come to Japan - "tens of thousands" a bit of a stretch - but most of THEM are likely to be vaccinated. The danger will come from everybody here at home. Even Bangladesh has begun vaccinating ordinary people.

this is why it was important to hand off the management of the pandemic to doctors early on, so they could act for the people, not the politicians

What a mess, the IOC need the lucrative income the Japanese government don't want to be seen to have failed, the Athletes are not really welcome and must leave after their event. Medical experts are alarmed at the prospect. And 80% of Japanese people want the whole thing cancelled. Other then some people/companies collecting tax payer money I fail to see what the benefit is. Moderator: Please repost, replacing "loose" with the correct word.

I wonder if there's a legal case for stopping the Olympic nonsense. Politicians easily get away with terrible things after the fact, but is it possible to build a legal case - using testimony from medical experts, and simple public opposition - for clear premeditated criminality should things be pushed forward, infections increase as a result and people die? If that was in place, there might be more hesitation before continuing this bulldozing of common sense and common wishes for dirty money.

Lets face it, IF, these games take place, people WILL get covid & people WILL die DIRECTLY because of the games!! Given the scope of an olympics there is NO WAY possible to avoid this, but hey full steam ahead!!!

No spectators are allowed, so I don't think that tens of thousands of foriegners will be entering Japan.

While foreign spectators and volunteers will not be at the games there are about fifteen thousand participants and thousands or foreign officials not to mention non sporting people that are part of each team from doctors to physio, dieticians and equipment managers etc etc so you can expect at least twenty five to thirty thousand foreigners entering for the games and then there is the press from most nations as well. There will indeed be tens of thousands of visitors in Japan for the games.

Some day soon, when the Olympics are over and the dead from Covid-19 are neatly boxed and the sick are jammed into hallways because there are no hospital rooms left, no a few people will wonder, "Did we really have to do this? Have this Olympic?" Not a few will say, "We told you so" and were not be heard. "It was everyone's fault," the capitalist and politician will say.

In Chekhov's "Duel" the Fool stops the duel by crying out, "They"ll going to kill each other!" I truly with that people like Chehkov's Fool would cry out loud, "We'll going to kill each other." Thousands from Japan and abroad are going to mingle and as of now only 1% of the Japanese population (and these a researchers). Japan, with hospital beds shortages, rapid inoculation is hopeless. I am sure there will be people with diseases that will somehow get it.

No Olympics PLEASE.

"Some medical experts unconvinced about holding Tokyo Olympics"

Im not a medical expert and neither is my dog however collectively we have determined that it is not convincing for the Japanese Government to hold the Olympics in 2021. But far be it for us to shed any light on this topic. The Japanese Government is sure to know something we don't. So, go on ahead and have your Japanese Olympics that only Japanese nationals may attend. We both are sure the Japanese Olympics will indeed be a huge success. Happy Thoughts! Bark! )))

But may rebuild up whatsoever like speedy growth history holding country that means Japan.

Vaccine campaign must be a faster pace hopefully Olympics open mandating by any means for the government and Dentsu side wish !!

There is NO such thing as Safe Olympics, you either have it then live with the results or you don't.

What proportion is 'some'? If it's only some of them, that must mean others don't think it's a problem? Why is the media not trying to find out whether there is a range of scientific opinions?

Because that is not the purpose of the article? The less convoluted way of understanding the article is that the Associated press asked professionals and experts to give their opinion about the topic and wrote what those that accepted to do it said. The main point is obviously not to say that this is a monolitic opinion shared by every single one (else the headline would not have included "some") but to explain the reasons those experts use to justify their opinion.

Nowadays an expert that thinks differently do not have to wait for any newspaper to give him an interview to make his views public, if you are interested on a different article than the one that is written here you can always see if they have done so.

Some medical experts unconvinced about holding Tokyo Olympics.

Oh REALLY? How many minutes in medical school would it take to come up with such a conclusion?

It’s not a question of holding the games or not. It’s simply a question of responsibility for that country and its development after that time span of the planned games. It makes no sense to happily cash in some yen from foreign guests or enthusiasts and after the games everyone dies with that full purse in the hand. You have to decide about the outlook in the longer run. I hope this brings your little brain cells to the only possible decision...lol

It's not like participants and fans will only consist of people from Wuhan and the old and overweight with no vaccines, negative tests, masks, etc. These guys are causing paranoia for scenarios that don't have a remote chance of happening.

"The number of COVID-19-related deaths in Japan is about 9,000 - far fewer than many countries - but Sugaya stressed the number is among the highest in Asia."

and I guess Sugaya forgot to mention the fact the Japan also has the oldest demographic.

"Tens of thousands of foreigners are going to be entering the country, including mass media, in a short period of time," Sugaya said, "the challenges are going to be enormous."

Uh didn't They say that there will be no overseas Visitors? Which is it?

Some medical experts unconvinced about holding Tokyo Olympics

but it ok for every other country to have sporting events.

"Some medical experts unconvinced about holding Tokyo Olympics"

Notice the word "some". In other words, the vast majority of experts think it is ok.

"Sugaya stressed the number is among the highest in Asia."

Really? Lets see.

Covid 19 deaths

India 162,000

Indonesia 40, 451

Philippines 13,200

Japan 9000

Excuse me, Dr Sugaya, but is not India, Indonesia and the Philippines in Asia?