NewsClick

NewsClick
  • हिन्दी
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Covid-19
  • Science
  • Culture
  • India
  • International
  • Sports
  • Articles
  • Videos
search
menu

SUBSCRIBE AND SUPPORT

image/svg+xml
  • All Articles
  • Newsclick Articles
  • All Videos
  • Newsclick Videos
  • हिन्दी
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Science
  • Culture
  • India
  • Sports
  • International
  • Africa
  • Latin America
  • Palestine
  • Nepal
  • Pakistan
  • Sri Lanka
  • US
  • West Asia
About us
Grievance Redressal Mechanism
Newsletter
Facebook - Newsclick Twitter - Newsclick Instagram - Newsclick Youtube - Newsclick RSS - Newsclick
close menu
×
You deserve independent, critical media. Subscribe and Support
sports
Covid-19
International

Japan Exploring A ‘Simplified' Olympics Option, Says Tokyo Governor

Tokyo’s governor has pointedly suggested that the 2021 Olympic Games will have compulsory coronavirus testing, fewer spectators and controlled movement in the athletes village -- an idea that may dilute the idea of the movement itself but ensure the festival can be held.
Newsclick Sports
04 Jun 2020
Tokyo Olympics organisers plan simplified Games

The IOC and the Japanese government took the unprecedented decision to postpone the Olympic Games scheduled to start in July by a year. A delay beyond 2021, however, has been ruled out.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike suggested Japan may host a ‘simplified’ Olympics next year due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and said organisers are already looking at ways to bring out possible changes.

Koike’s comments follow reports in the Yomiuri newspaper about various options that include compulsory coronavirus testing and fewer spectators for the games being considered by organisers.

Also Read | Arsenal Great Thierry Henry Calls for Urgent Change to Stop Racism

John Coates, the head of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC’s) inspectorate for Tokyo, had earlier cited the lack of a defence against the coronavirus as a threat to the Games. Organisers, he had advocated, should start planning a ‘very different’ Olympics if there were no signs of Covid-19 being eradicated.

Koike did not give out any details but said such discussions were necessary. “Holding the Olympic and Paralympic Games calls for sympathy and understanding of Tokyoites and the Japanese people,” Koike told reporters. “For that, we need to rationalise what needs to be rationalised and simplify what needs to be simplified.”

The Yomiuri, citing government and organising committee sources, said Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests are going to be made compulsory for all spectators, along with athletes and staff. Movement in and out of the Games village is also expected to get limited, and are options Japan will discuss with the IOC.

In March, a few weeks after lockdown started mushrooming across the world to control the pandemic, the IOC and the Japanese government took the unprecedented decision to postpone the Games scheduled to start in July. A delay beyond 2021, however, has been ruled out by the IOC.

The idea of a simplified Games, with reduced spectators is starkly divergent from comments made by the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in April. Speaking in Parliament, Abe had then said, “We will hold the Olympics and Paralympics in which athletes and spectators can participate safely and in a complete form. I think they cannot be held in a complete form if the pandemic is not contained.” 

 “The Olympic Games,” Abe further said, “must be held in a way that shows the world has won its battle against the coronavirus pandemic. Otherwise, it will be difficult to hold them.”

Within a month though, it seems solutions have been found, even if they are at the cost of celebration itself.

Read more sports stories from Newsclick

Get the latest reports & analysis with people's perspective on Protests, movements & deep analytical videos, discussions of the current affairs in your Telegram app. Subscribe to NewsClick's Telegram channel & get Real-Time updates on stories, as they get published on our website.
Tokyo 2020
Tokyo 2021
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike
International Olympic Committee
IOC
Olympic
Paralympic Games
Tokyo Olympics
Tokyo Games
2020 Tokyo Olympics
Indian Olympic Association
IOA
Japan Coronavirus
Thomas Bach
Olympic Village
Olympic Spirit
Newsclick at Tokyo Olympics
Related Stories
Vladimir Putin and the Russia sports ban as a result of war against Ukraine

Russia-Ukraine War: Big Sport’s Hard Hypocrisy as the World Uses its Soft Power

Andrew Jennings Tribute

Andrew Jennings Tribute | The Man Who Brought to the Forefront Corruption In Global Sport

Playthings Episode 10 Indian sport yearender 2021

Playthings India Report Card 2021: Ifs, Buts and What Nots of a Golden Year

Kidambi Srikanth at BWF World Badminton Championships in Huelva, Spain.

Peak Introspection: Kidambi Srikanth and Lakshya Sen’s Medals at World Championships

Wrestlers Ravi Dahiya and Bajrang Punia

Bajrang Punia and Ravi Dahiya Seek New Coaches for Paris 2024 Olympic Cycle

Boxer Nikhat Zareen in action

Boxer Nikhat Zareen Ready for the World, Mary Kom Notwithstanding

PV Sindhu at denmark open

Rusty PV Sindhu Bows Out of Denmark Open Badminton

playthings episode 1 - Smriti Mandhana ton

Playthings | Smriti Mandhana's Ton Against Odds; Retirement Spree in Indian Hockey and More

Former India hockey players Birendra Lakra and Rupinder Pal Singh

Tokyo Olympics Bronze Medalists Rupinder Pal Singh, Birendra Lakra Retire From International Hockey

North Korea Olympic ban

IOC Suspends North Korea from Beijing Winter Olympics

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppShare via EmailShare on RedditShare on KindlePrint
Share
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppShare via EmailShare on RedditShare on KindlePrint
Share
You deserve independent, critical media. We want readers like you. Support independent, critical media. Subscribe to Newsclick.

Subscribe and Support


Latest

  • farooq abdullah

    ED Summon to Farooq Abdullah Price for Opposing BJP Govt: NC

  •  Dr. GN Saibaba hospitalised after his health deteriorates due to hunger strike

    Dr. GN Saibaba Hospitalised After His Health Deteriorates Due to Hunger Strike

  • kedarnath

    Uttarakhand: 78 Pilgrim Deaths During 'Char Dham' Yatra a Cause for Concern, say Experts

  • Bihar Liquor Manufacturers use Urea, Poisonous Chemicals in Production

    Bihar Liquor Manufacturers use Urea, Poisonous Chemicals in Production

  • Load More
Newsletter
About us
Grievance Redressal Mechanism