TOKYO – With just six months to go until the start of the Summer Olympics here, the athletes themselves are one of the biggest challenges they face – or lack thereof.
Only 57% of the approximately 11,000 slots are filled, according to the International Olympic Committee. Most accredited competitions are scheduled for March or later, but the coronavirus outbreak continues with a cloud outlook.
Testimonials are just one of the uncertainties facing the already delayed Tokyo Games, which was fueled by new doubts this week that gave another assurance from the government that the event is still going on. .
“The international organizations are telling us that they are moving forward [with qualifiers], but there is no definitive information, “said someone involved in the games.
Skateboards are expected to be competitive for the first time in Olympics, but no predictions have been recorded and venues have not been identified. Certificates for fencing and boxing, among other sports, are also up in the air.
The final predictions for an artistic swim will be held March 4-7 in Tokyo. But under the continuing crisis of Japan, new international entrants are blocked as a rule. Those entering the country are expected to separate on their own for two weeks, and policymakers may delay reopening for Olympic athletes.
Organizations representing athletics and boxing are fully considering team certification. Athletes would be selected based on their records in their place. But this arrangement risks jeopardizing criticism of fairness.
“We are in a situation where everyone has to adhere to it,” said Morinari Watanabe, president of the International Athletics Federation. “The first priority is to figure out how to keep” Tokyo Games.
Inhibition of COVID-19 transmission is a greater challenge. IOC President Thomas Bach said his organization would pay for vaccines given to athletes. But the competitors come from about 200 countries and regions, all with very different vaccine programs and disease rates. It is unlikely that vaccines will reach all athletes quickly.
The Tokyo Olympic organizing committee plans to ask athletes to undergo rigorous screening before leaving their countries, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated.
But the difficult-to-detect stimulus period for the coronavirus creates frightening difficulties in trying to prevent all infected people from crossing the border. More than 70 people were forced to quarantine hotel rooms after positive cases were found on charter flights transporting tennis players to the Australian Open.
The Tokyo city government and the organizing committee plan to send doctors to Olympic centers. But Toshio Nakagawa, president of the Japan Medical Association, questioned the region’s ability to take sick athletes to hospital.
“It will be difficult to accommodate with the current health care situation,” Nakagawa said in a speech Friday in Tokyo.
It is not yet certain how many spectators will be allowed to enter Japan. The government measures three scenarios: unlimited fans, 50% seating capacity or no spectators at all.
The spread of the more contagious coronavirus changes means that the more optimistic conditions do not appear as predictable as they did last year, when Japan’s new infectious numbers were lower.
A path to holding the likely games needs to be carved out before the Olympic torch replay, which begins on March 25. Last year, Bach and then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe postponed the Olympics just two days before the first replay was expected to begin. Japan.
As soon as the torch relay begins, any move is expected to be a higher obstacle to stop preparing for the games.
Outside Japan, new doubts have been expressed about the viability of the Tokyo Games.
“If I were sitting in the shoes of the organizing committee in Tokyo, I would be making plans for the abolition, and I’m sure they have plans for the abolition,” said Keith Mills, former vice-chairman of the organizing committee. London Olympics, he said on BBC radio.
Kevan Gosper, former vice-chairman of the IOC from Australia, suggests that an independent body be involved in any decision on the postponement of the Olympics.
“If you were looking for a third party that recognizes that this has gone beyond being a direct issue related to sport, or just related to national interest,” Gosper said on a program in Australia , “there could be a case for going to the United Nations and seeking their participation in a settlement as to whether or not the games are going on.”
There were no obvious calls from athletes to cancel or cancel the games. USA Swimming, an organization that called for the Olympics to be canceled last year, issued an open letter last month saying “our hopes for recovery are strong.”
Michael Schirp, press officer for the German Olympic Sports Federation, said the athletes hope the games will be held, even if cuts have to be made.
Bach said Thursday: “We have no reason at this stage to believe that the Olympic Games in Tokyo will not open on July 23.”