Olympics-Fear Of Missing Out keeps athletes onside for Tokyo
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[May 13, 2021]
By Nick Mulvenney
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Ten weeks before the
start of the Olympics, Tokyo remains in a state of emergency, 60% of
the Japanese people do not want the Olympics to go ahead, and only
around 3% of them have been vaccinated for COVID-19.
Yet the message from the International Olympic Committee, local
organisers and the Japanese government has been consistent -- full
speed ahead to the opening ceremony on July 23.
Their stance might appear counter-intuitive to those still
struggling with daily deaths and hardship caused by the pandemic,
but there has been a noticeable lack of dissent from the sporting
community.
That is a contrast to last year when the voices of athletes and
sports officials were at the forefront of a groundswell of opinion
that led to a 12-month delay for the Games.
With IOC President Thomas Bach having made it clear another
postponement is not an option, cancellation would be the only
alternative to proceeding.
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That, according to Olympic swimming gold medallist Rebecca Adlington,
would be "devastating" for athletes.
"The athletes dedicate their lives to something that only happens
every four years, it's now been five and if it got cancelled, (they)
will have to wait another three," the Briton told Reuters.
"That's thousands of athletes that will miss out on the opportunity
to represent their country and win medals. It's been five years of
hard work, pushing their body to the limit."
IOC data shows that around 80% of athletes only appear in one
Olympics during their careers -- careers that in some sports will be
done and dusted in the eight years between the 2016 Rio Games and
the 2024 gathering in Paris.
EXTRA PRECAUTIONS
Athletes have apparently not been put off by the conditions they are
scheduled to compete under in Tokyo, where the threat of the
Olympics turning into a "superspreader" event means isolation,
regular COVID-19 testing, and possibly no crowds.
Foreign fans have already been banned while a decision on domestic
crowds is expected in June. There were no spectators when Sebastian
Coe, the head of World Athletics and former Olympic champion,
witnessed a dry-run for the health precautions at a test event in
Tokyo last weekend.
"I speak to the athletes all the time," he said.
"The vast majority of athletes ... are understanding that it will
not be the type of Games they've experienced before ... but they
still know they would rather be here than sit out the dance. It's
important for them."
World champion sprinter Noah Lyles, who is hoping to compete at his
first Games, said he was not overly concerned about his own health.
"I got vaccinated pretty early," the American told Reuters.
"Now that the vaccine is a lot more accessible to people in the
world, it gives me more security that going into the Olympics, it
will be safer and we won't have too many issues.
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General view during the men's 3000m
Steeplechase final REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo
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"Of course everyone is taking those
extra precautions to make sure we don't have to deal with it."
Japanese tennis players Naomi Osaka and Kei Nishikori last weekend
did voice concerns about the Games, urging "discussion" over the
potential impact of 10,000 athletes descending on their country.
Tennis is one of the few sports where an Olympic medal is not the
most prestigious prize in the game, however, and it is the less high
profile athletes who have most to lose from the cancellation of the
Games.
DESIRE INTENSIFIED
British climber Shauna Coxsey, whose sport is scheduled to make its
debut in Tokyo, said her desire to compete at the Games had only
been intensified by the postponement.
"The wait has made people more apprehensive but in a good way, more
people are longing to go and get involved," she told Reuters.
"I think the togetherness of the Olympics and the fact that it
breaks down so many boundaries and is a beacon of hope in some
regard, with the delay it has heightened the feeling about what the
Games means."
New Zealand men's rugby sevens coach Clark Laidlaw said that, while
he understood reservations, he thought holding the Games could be a
ray of light in dark times.
"I genuinely think if it is safe, and Japan thinks it's safe, then
it's a real opportunity for people to inspire others who are in a
really tough situation," he told Reuters.
American academic Jules Boykoff, in an opinion piece for the New
York Times on Tuesday, called for the cancellation of the Games.
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"The situation is crude but clear: Olympic organisers are not
willing to sacrifice their profits for public health," he wrote.
It is a familiar criticism of the IOC, who receive billions of
dollars from TV rights and sponsorships for the Games, but one
wholly rejected by Vice President John Coates.
"If we were doing that, we would have pushed ahead with them last
year. We didn't," the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) president
said last weekend.
"I don't want these kids to miss the one opportunity they have in
their lifetime. We're doing it so these kids can fulfil their
dreams."
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, additional reporting by Chris
Gallagher in Tokyo, Ian Ransom in Melbourne, Rory Carroll in Los
Angeles, Martyn Herman in London and Joseph Walker in Madrid;
editing by Peter Rutherford)
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