tokyo 2020 olympics

Tokyo Olympics set for unusual opening ceremony

30 Comments
By Talek HARRIS

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30 Comments

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I have little doubt that the 'official' infection figures are a small fraction of the real number of infected people in Japan.

That is why the reporting of olympic related infection is along the line of the 12 infections 2 were from abroad and the remaining 10 are people residing in Japan. All of a sudden Japanese and us foreigners are conveniently seen or used as one, when not long ago we foreigners regardless of our status were refused entry back into the country. Talk about obscuring facts.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Still some hours left to switch the brains on and that virus super spreading event off. My prediction is of course, that those idiots won’t find neither switch.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

...the Japanese public is largely locked out and distrustful of the Games, fearing an influx of infections from the foreign visitors.

Given the paucity of testing being carried out here and the definition of "close contact" excluding anyone wearing a mask, even if they are in extended contact with an infected person, I would say the real danger is for overseas visitors to the games carrying the virus home with them after it's all over.

I have little doubt that the 'official' infection figures are a small fraction of the real number of infected people in Japan.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

The whole Olympics are unusual and considering the rules about staying in the village are no longer being followed it will be interesting to see what happens with the ceremony. I will read about it in the papers and not watch but maybe we will have more surprises and more reasons for Bach to lose sleep.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

The ceremony's director, Kentaro Kobayashi, was fired on Thursday over a 1998 comedy sketch referencing the Holocaust.

It came just three days after a composer for the ceremony stepped down following an outcry over past interviews in which he described abusing disabled schoolmates.

The creative director for the opening and closing ceremonies, Hiroshi Sasaki, also resigned in March after suggesting a plus-size female comedian appear as a pig.

Its actually sort of impressive that they made it to the start date before running out of people. At the rate they were burning through senior personnel by my rough math if they had postponed the games another year almost 126 million people - the entire population of Japan - would have been hired and then fired from positions in the games due to some sort of personal scandal at some point.

6 ( +9 / -3 )

I'ts not perverse, it's childish..

I thought Japan loved children, what with their smiling, natsukashii faces and pure, innocent hearts.

-2 ( +7 / -9 )

Ill be watching. Im still pretty stoked.

-8 ( +8 / -16 )

This will be the first Olympic ceremony I won't be watching in my life.

2 ( +8 / -6 )

I might hit up YouTube at exactly 8 p.m. and watch a rerun of the Beijing opening ceremony from 2008, just to be perverse.

5 ( +12 / -7 )

Tokyo 2020 has had a difficult build-up and the opening ceremony is no exception, with a series of sackings of people connected with the show.

May be it is the curse of Zaha Haddid. The author forgot the plagiarism of the stadium design from the original Zaha design and also plagiarism of the logo, suicide from over work etc. The bid itself wasn't without a bibery scandal. There has been a catalogue of scandals it is difficult to keep track.

9 ( +13 / -4 )

This time around, after a year's pandemic delay, the Japanese public is largely locked out and distrustful of the Games, fearing an influx of infections from the foreign visitors.

Distrustful of the games or the foreign visitors.?

Yeah Japan is free of infections and has to fear infections from foreign visitors.

4 ( +9 / -5 )

Tokyo 2020 has had a difficult build-up and the opening ceremony is no exception, with a series of sackings of people connected with the show.

The article refers to them as "VIPs" but the rogues gallery of oligarchs , fraudsters and privleged bullies who will be the sole attendants of this show will be impressive.

12 ( +14 / -2 )

I call the stadium the toilet seat. Looks like one and it's where your tax has been flushed.

LOL, that made me chuckle.

It's disappointing though, so many tourists are desperate to visit Japan and can't. It should have been a lucrative Olympics.

5 ( +8 / -3 )

-Just 1,000 dignitaries will be present at the 68,000-seat Olympic Stadium.

I trust they will be wearing masks and using the size of the stadium to socially distance from each other - not all sitting next to each other in one small section.

-along with a smattering of world leaders.

Did they quarantine, or is that just for us proles?

I hope the opening ceremony goes well. A lot of people have put a great deal of work into it, and they haven't had much recognition amidst all the negative press.

There better be something 46/48 in there.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

I call the stadium the toilet seat. Looks like one and it's where your tax has been flushed.

14 ( +22 / -8 )

At 8pm I will be in my Mom and Pops Izakaya and I guess the opening ceremony is running on their TV.

So I will also watch it a little bit.

Good thing is, I can bring my own Sake there and so probably around 9pm I am already drunk.

-1 ( +8 / -9 )

*The 2020 Tokyo Olympic stadium looks like a big “ 0 “ from this from this vantage point. (see accompanying photo)*

Well, Japan still owes money to the British company for the designs of the original stadium. Maybe karma is at work.You reap what you sow in this world.

7 ( +15 / -8 )

That's an ugly stadium.

0 ( +10 / -10 )

Just 1,000 dignitaries will be present at the 68,000-seat Olympic Stadium for the traditional extravaganza, usually a time of celebration for the host nation.

Define dignitaries.

A few politicians, some CEO’s and a bunch of millionaires.

Thought the idea was no public. Why a thousand exceptions?

Not a good example.

Then at least be consistent and stop trying to convince people not to join the local **izakaya after a hard working day, while dignitaries have a free pass for international travel, booze and party.**

16 ( +19 / -3 )

Let's hope it ends peacefully, with no COVID-19 awarded to those who attended. I'm calling it now, if something bad goes down during and after the Olympics, it will go down as a humiliating moment for Japan and the IOC, with hopefully the next sporting events be cancelled should another global disaster like what we're in now happen again.

5 ( +10 / -5 )

Brace yourselves, people. This ''Olympics'' is gonna crumble like a bad cookie. It has already begun.

7 ( +15 / -8 )

The World is Watching.” -

many here probably won’t be.

6 ( +17 / -11 )

The opening ceremonies will probably equate to the same.

0 ( +9 / -9 )

The 2020 Tokyo Olympic stadium looks like a big “ 0 “ from this from this vantage point. (see accompanying photo)

1 ( +11 / -10 )

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