The COVID-19 outbreak postponed the 2020 Olympic Games, for the first time in the history of the event. With the pandemic still prevalent, the question of if the 2021 Tokyo Olympics will be able to occur this summer.
With the event’s fast-approaching opening on July 23, organizers are being forced to accommodate over 10,000 athletes in the midst of the pandemic on a tight schedule.
The event’s preliminary plans have been released within a seemingly brief 34-page document, detailing the sort of predicted requirements for athletes and attendees that will work to keep everyone safe, and reduce the chances of the event causing a coronavirus outbreak.
The New York Times reports, “by beginning to outline the rules for attending the Games, the organizers showed their determination to proceed even as Tokyo remains under a state of emergency and the Japanese public shows strong opposition to hosting the competitions. New and potentially more dangerous variants of the virus are spreading across the globe, and many countries are struggling to vaccinate their populations.”
COVID-19 is still running rampant, and it looks as though fans from abroad will be prohibited from attending. The Japanese public has shared their concern for hosting the event at this time, and the question of allowing foreign attendees has proved to be a large aspect of their opposition.
Due to the uncertainty of vaccine quantities, vaccinations will not be required for athletes or fans to attend, with Japan’s own vaccination campaign just recently beginning.
The released guidelines do require negative tests from all athletes within 72 hours of their departures to Japan and will be tested once again when they arrive at the Games.
Time spent in the Olympic village will be limited as well, with the athletes encouraged to arrive within five days of their event, and then to depart soon after it ends.
There will also be strict social distancing practices in place, along with encouragement to remain within the village.
These requirements and any that remain to come will damper the familiar festive spirit that surrounds the Olympics worldwide, and especially within the village and city in which the Games are held.
However, there is only so much to be done during these unprecedented times. Olympic officials are expecting some inevitable infections, so fever clinics and a hospital area will be set up in preparation.
The Olympic Games are known for being an exciting and inclusive event with participants from all over the globe, which now, after a year of COVID-19 affecting lives worldwide, seems to be nearly impossible to effectively pull off. This summer, the world will be watching (from home of course) to see just how this year’s Olympics play out