The Olympic Games, against all odds. In Japan, there is still no question, officially, of evoking a postponement or cancellation of the Tokyo Olympics, scheduled from July 24, 2020. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reiterated, on Sunday March 15, that his country would welcome the competition in July.
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The International Olympic Committee (IOC), responsible for organizing the Olympic Games, has not taken an official decision. He met Tuesday, March 17, his Executive Committee to officially “Prepare an exchange of information” with international federations, concerning the competition. After rumors of a postponement of the Olympic Games, John Coates, president of the Coordination Commission for the Olympic Games 2020, confirmed to Australian media that “Everything is running its course for the opening of the Olympic Games on July 24”.
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At this stage of the spread of the coronavirus in the world, the continuation of the competition questions at the same time that it seems to worry the Japanese population. As a symbol of this concern, one of the two vice-presidents of the Japanese Olympic Committee, Kozo Tashima, announced on Tuesday March 17 that he had tested positive for the new coronavirus.
Japanese reviews
If, according to official Japanese government figures, the country has few cases of coronavirus infections (824 cases of contamination and 28 deaths as of Tuesday March 17), residents of Tokyo fear this influx of foreign visitors. “Even if Japan manages to overcome this crisis, we should not receive visitors from all over the world” explains a resident of Tokyo. “Except during the war, I never felt so worried” adds another man.
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A survey of a thousand people, published on Monday March 17 by the Japanese news agency Kyodo News, reveals that 69.9% of those questioned do not believe the government when it displays its optimism for the holding of the planetary event this summer. Another poll, proposed by the Japanese public television channel NHK and carried out between March 6 and 9, indicates that 45% of the Japanese are now outright opposed to the continuation of the Olympic Games in the country. A proposal still unimaginable three months ago.
An understatement of Covid-19 by the Japanese government?
Behind the question of the continuation of the Olympic Games, it is the very management by the Japanese government of the coronavirus epidemic which seems to stir up doubts and suspicions.
Saturday, March 14, Shinzo Abe had assured, during a press conference, that the spread of coronavirus remained very limited in the country, thanks in particular to the exemplary behavior of the Japanese, who have no trouble adopting the barrier gestures, most of which (wearing a mask for the slightest cold, washing your hands often, not speaking in front of your interlocutor, not touching him to greet him, respecting a distance between yourself and others …) are already included in their usual behaviors: “There is not an explosive spread of infections in Japan” he said.
In Japan, nearly 900 coronavirus tests are performed every day: a substantial number, but much lower than that done in South Korea, which examines nearly 20,000 people per day, reports the BBC, for a lower population.
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According to the Kyodo News poll, 60% of those questioned are dissatisfied with the measures taken by the government to prevent the spread of the virus. For now, the Japanese government believes that the closure of schools, encouragement to telework and hygiene habits of the Japanese are enough to contain the epidemic … And to maintain the Olympics?
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