tokyo 2020 olympics

Daily tests, cardboard beds: 24 hours at Tokyo's Olympic Village

56 Comments
By Etienne BALMER

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So this is where the taxpaying billions of yen are going towards? Cardboard beds? How hypocritical that the IOC lines their pockets while the Olympics shave money for cardboard beds? Totally shameful and an embarrassment to the host country, Olympics in general, and the athletes who have trained so hard. I'm sure Bach is sleeping well in his 3 million yen a night suite. I'm sure most of us can't find anything nice to say about him or this Olympics.

20 ( +26 / -6 )

お も て な し… 無し

15 ( +23 / -8 )

alcohol is forbidden in groups and in public areas.

Zoom/Teams nomikai then

4 ( +7 / -3 )

Cardboard beds are also a kind of cronyism.

Company of brother of previous PM Abe was ordered from Tokyo 2020.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

Is this what some call the Olympic dream?

10 ( +11 / -1 )

Do the japanese athletes also get tested daily?

16 ( +17 / -1 )

Let’s try to remember, for various reasons too numerous to list here we probably will not be seeing the world’s best athletes Just keep that in mind.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

OMG its just a cluster waiting to happen .. all they need is ONE positive in there and its like Army of the Dead .. Close the gates and lock 'em all in lol .. its just a cruise ship without the cruise .. or the ship ..

15 ( +17 / -2 )

despite Tokyo's 4:40 a.m. sunrise, thanks to thick black-out curtains.

‘Daylight savings would fix that, but then the farmers would have to change each cows watch.

The beds and partition walls are made from sturdy recyclable cardboard, to be cleared away after the Games when the 21 towers are turned into luxury homes. Perhaps not so good if your neighbor snores,

or talks watchers TV or moves.

sturdy cardboard? Well that’s going to be a embarrassing disaster on so many levels for amorphous couples.

On the way to get breakfast, athletes can check an app that shows how crowded communal areas are, including the two floors of the vast 3,000-seat canteen. So everyone can see it’s empty and rush to the food hall together.

could go on, but even with the extra year to prepare, never going to happen with success.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

Another PR fluffy article to show to average Taro and Keiko how the govt is taking care of its population by segregating them from foreign athletes - are we supposed to feel sorry and pity for these athletes?

They knew what they were getting into - so deal with this dismal infrastructure and lack of freedom which they are otherwise used to and dont complain...

9 ( +10 / -1 )

Cardboard beds?

Where did all the money go?

Surely Bach and Coates don't get it all?

13 ( +14 / -1 )

I hope they don't serve cola or orange juice in the the village. have a swish of orange juice, take the spit test, those tests going to come back all positive.

https://scitechdaily.com/kids-are-using-soft-drinks-to-fake-positive-covid-19-tests-heres-the-science-and-how-to-spot-it/

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Time for a daily coronavirus test -- a requirement for everyone staying in the village. They will administer the saliva antigen tests themselves and then submit them for processing.

And now we know how a city that could barely do 10,000 a day has figured a workaround the 18,000 promised tests.

Original it was everyone daily, then the dropped to just Olympic village, and the rest self collecting every 3 days.

Now we have every self testing with unreliable kits and only PCR if needed.

What will be next? Testing out if they show all the needed signs like public testing requires?

The closer we get the more and more the promises drop by the wayside and the reality sets in they are making it all up on the fly.

12 ( +13 / -1 )

Free Wifi! Cardboard beds! Pictures of Tokyo bay on the wall printed out by an inkjet printer!

Take away the cardboard beds, give me karaoke, a LED light in the bath tub, and 700yen frozen dinners and it it replicates a love hotel almost perfectly.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

"Daily tests, cardboard beds: 24 hours at Tokyo's Olympic Village"

In reference to this article:

I wonder if they can, ya know... do the nasty.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

As if anyone believes them that there is control and strict rules. So how do they explain this?

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/f22a709f10b3abb57b45a3bb41a922f1206acd94

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Their stay in the village will also be shorter than usual: competitors can only arrive five days before their event and must leave within 48 hours of winning or losing.

My question then is, who were all the fake sailors with t-shirts blazed with their country names, not wearing masks and loud down near the Enoshima sailing Olympic pavilion yesterday? Sure were not Japanese.

10 ( +10 / -0 )

despite Tokyo's 4:40 a.m. sunrise,

Huh? 3:38 tomorrow.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

The beer garden near Toyosu Market is flooded with “no-mask foreigners” ... Olympic officials are also using it as a healing place.

"The beer garden located on the opposite bank of the Olympic Village, near the Toyosu Market , is full of foreign Olympics officials."

Less than a week or so before the Olympics are held, athletes and staff from each country are visiting Japan one after another. And they are gathering in the beer garden.

Amazing folks, but it is happening. The air is full of droplets.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

@Antiquesaving: These are the very same tests that you champion the use of in the UK! Why do you think their test numbers are SO high?

-6 ( +1 / -7 )

I'm curious as to what will happen to the 2020 bedding after the games. Will it be thrown away along with the cardboard beds or washed and given to charity? Or, can the athletes take it home with them?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

All of that money funneled into the Olympics and the best they can come up with are cardboard beds? Prison cells have better beds installed.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

7 a.m.

Time for a daily coronavirus test -- a requirement for everyone staying in the village. They will administer the saliva antigen tests themselves and then submit them for processing.

The report is missing what time the results of the tests are know. Is it before they mix in the village and leave for events ?

4 ( +4 / -0 )

competitors can only arrive five days before their event,

Well, many already arrived for a while

4 ( +4 / -0 )

I have difficulties to imagine how they will be policed in the village.

Whatever happens, it will be kept secret so the organizers can save the face.

Unless some local journalists get some info and wanna blame foreigners

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Who will check if they abide the rules ? Big Brother ?

But I am quite sure athletes themselves will be careful as they do not want to be positive and have to withdraw from their competition

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I really don't understand the complaining and moaning about the cardboard beds? What should they be then? Heavy oak? Just to be discarded after the games? Then you would be complaining about "how dare you waste so much money and timber to something so temporary!#%!"

This solution is excellent in my books. It's actually very economical, ecological and practical. Believe it or not, cardboard actually makes excellent temporary furniture and other fixtures. See for example this: https://www.dezeen.com/2017/09/18/lahti-university-students-design-furniture-for-victims-of-displacement/

As the pieces can be assembled and disassembled quickly, without tools, surely it's also a safer option - with covid in mind- than having staff members drilling, screwing and packing and stacking for hours, that you'd need to do with e.g. wooden furniture?

@BitHed

OMG its just a cluster waiting to happen .. all they need is ONE positive in there and its like Army of the Dead .. Close the gates and lock 'em all in lol .. its just a cruise ship without the cruise .. or the ship ..

I've been to the village. It really is quite safe, and I'd feel much, much safer there than in any neighbourhood, supermarket, train, office or a shop anywhere else in Tokyo.

What is also not visible from the photos here (or mentioned in the article), there is actually a lot of greenery and outdoor places to chill and relax behind the apartment buildings, with direct views to the Rainbow bridge.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

didou

Who will check if they abide the rules ? Big Brother ?

But I am quite sure athletes themselves will be careful as they do not want to be positive and have to withdraw from their competition

They have officials and police officers present at the village at all times. There's also a police station right outside of the village.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Spare us those phantasy details, close that all down, barr entry hermetically and first of all cancel that damned virus super spreading event immediately. Can’t you see the infection numbers explode? Unbelievable, your stubborn irresponsible behavior.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Saw many of foreigners roaming around freely near Toyosu today! They were definitely the team officials from the Tokyo Olympics. I thought they weren’t allowed to leave the Olympics village! So much for having the rule book for a safe Olympics!

3 ( +5 / -2 )

using free Wi-Fi.

yeah, we all know about "free wi-fi" in Japan. Utterly useless. You can't even open up an instagram page with that weak sauce.

good luck having 90,000 people or whatever it is do video chats all at the same time.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

This is not new news. The BBC reported on this almost a month ago. But what this article failed to clarify is that all athletes are required to share rooms, on top of sleeping on cardboard beds.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

This solution is excellent in my books. It's actually very economical, ecological and practical.

Economical, not sure about that won't be surprised it cost 3 to 5 times the price of a normal bed. The bed manufacturer can't miss the opportunity of making a profit of a live time.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

theResidentToday  05:46 pm JST

@Antiquesaving: These are the very same tests that you champion the use of in the UK! Why do you think their test numbers are SO high?

Do you understand the difference between antigen tests and PCR?

Apparently not!

The UK is doing 300,000 to 400,000 PCR tests a day.

https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/testing

4 ( +6 / -2 )

Cardboard beds what a surprise Okay!! Edible beds would have been more laughable!

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Like some posting here, I have also been in the village, it felt safe when I was making deliveries & it was a ghost time BUT recently a lot of team staff is on site, great people & all but that place will soon be chock FULL & people stacked like cord wood up to 4 to a room( I know I have been in them) & the cardboard beds are made of cardboard recycled into ....well cardboard, they are likely to collapse even without any horiontal olympics going on so I suspect many will be sleeping on the floor like you would on futons!

And while there is some greenery there is also a LOT of bare earth covered with UGLY, hopefully re-cycled pet bottle fake grass. The athletes are not going to enjoy as much as they hoped, but there is a lot of beer etc being shipped in so that will make the occupants comfortably numb once their events are done!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

One good thing, the beds don't squeak...

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I hope the removers who will are going to remove all that cardboard at the end, will be issued with Hazmat suits!!!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

What a load of codswallop, have you seen the fresh foreigners walking around with that fresh just arrived in Tokyo star struck look lately, or the Embassy limos with flags showing their proud ignorance , or all the olympic toyota noahs running the olympic crew around in the last few weeks, days ?

Really they think we are stupid and gullible enough to swallow the dribble they keep pouring out to try to make themselves sound legitimate.

Seriously the insult can be seen all over Tokyo not only when bach speaks but in the daily traffic flow, the tourist olympic types who some how think they just blend into the crowd, c'mon man .

Tokoyites are not as silly as the olympic lot would like to think, its sticks out likes doggies danglers for crying out loud. Rude and obscene !!!

Now bach up n take another number !!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Ah yes. Self-testing.

Athlete dabs the rod into the toilet bowl for a little dip to moisten it before putting into the plastic bag and sealing it. They then hand it in to the nice lady waiting outside the room to collect the test before heading to breakfast..... The aforementioned athlete chuckles to themselves as the dig into their vegan dish and recalls random drug tests being more stringent than this, but just as easily dealt with.

Repeat 18,000 times each morning. Zero positive cases for the entire period of the Olympics.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Cardboard bed is not bad as people think. It is same comfortable and it can easily sustain weight 200 Kilogram.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

JimT

Saw many of foreigners roaming around freely near Toyosu today! They were definitely the team officials from the Tokyo Olympics. I thought they weren’t allowed to leave the Olympics village! So much for having the rule book for a safe Olympics!

Hundreds, if not thousands, of foreigners who live in Japan have been working as officials for the games for years already. Since the action is about to happen, and their preparation offices are closing, they're just gathering more actively near the key venues, like the Olympic village and Tokyo Big Sight (=media) .

Again, as they live in Japan, they do not need to stay in the village bubble. (It is, however a good point, whether they should?)

I'm also a foreigner, and often roaming near Toyosu. Not an official for the games though. How do you tell the difference?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Why cardboard beds are used??? Buildings in Olympic Village are going to be condominiums for people after Olympics is over. Most of them were sold and owners bring their own beds when they start to live there.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The nearest joggers are looping around the Olympic Village .

2 ( +2 / -0 )

6:30 a.m.

The village is built to sleep up to 18,000 Olympians, coaches and officials. They should wake up refreshed, despite Tokyo's 4:40 a.m. sunrise, thanks to thick black-out curtains.

Many cities in Europe have a sunrise as early as Tokyo. Sunrise in Beijing is even earlier. And, if they are waking up at 6:30am, well, many many cities have a sunrise before 6:30am, so the Tokyo sunrise time is not so relevant or unique.

And at the same time---they are sleeping on short length, cardboard beds in minuscule sized rooms. These poor people..

0 ( +2 / -2 )

The BBC correspondent lacks of coverage that I understand .

Their reporter seems to have too sloppy just only coverage a little bit !!

The BBC Japanese Puss doesn’t work so much although she must stay anywhere of Tokyo !!

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Athletes sharing rooms is a no no in a pandemic. Cardboard partitions will do diddly squat. An example of hygeine theatre. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/jul/12/hygiene-theatre-how-excessive-cleaning-gives-us-a-false-sense-of-security

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Apparently they could not control these athletes at the airport when the arrived. Many went walkabout while waiting to get processed.

These Olympics are a calamity. I’m sure Suga and his mates will try and spin it, somehow.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Reminds me of my life at the academy

1 ( +1 / -0 )

An outrageous sham! Why do they even bother? There are 1100 cases of Covid in Tokyo each day regardless. This is an example of bureaucracy run wild. It's what happens when a bunch of bureaucrats are tasked to do something about something they can do nothing about. It is the epitome of the Japanese mind. I only hope the IOC and the atheletes push back. The Olympics were not intended as a caged rat competition. Japan has exposed themselves as cowardly sheep. Should of moved this venue to Florida.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Tests show that if you plonk into these beds they will fail and you will end up sleeping at a sharp angle or on the floor. Perhaps you should have stayed home!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Confinement.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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