No Audience, No Interest, No Measures... The '2020 Olympics' Held in 2021

Opening Today at 8 PM in Tokyo

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Kwon Jae-hee, Choi Dong-hyun] No spectators, no interest, no measures.

The Tokyo Olympics will open on the 23rd amid the dishonor of being called the ‘3-No (無) Olympics.’ Despite numerous twists and turns, the opening will take place, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is expected to be the most modest in the 120-year history of the modern Olympics.

According to NHK on the 23rd (local time), the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics will hold the opening ceremony for four hours starting at 8 p.m. (Korean time) at the National Stadium located in Shinjuku, Tokyo. This Olympics, which will run for 17 days from the 23rd until August 8th, will feature more than 11,000 athletes from 205 countries belonging to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), competing fiercely in 33 events for 339 gold medals. The opening ceremony will include the entrance of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and the Japanese national anthem, Emperor Naruhito’s Olympic opening address, various oaths, and artistic programs.

Held as an unprecedented ‘no spectators’ Olympics due to the COVID-19 pandemic, public opinion within Japan, the host country, is cold toward the Tokyo Olympics. Despite the spread of COVID-19, the Japanese government and the IOC pushed forward with hosting the Olympics, and opposition to the event within Japan has reached as high as 70%.

The Japanese government allowed spectators only in some areas outside the Tokyo metropolitan area, including Tokyo itself, to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Considering that most events are held within Tokyo, 96% of the competitions will be held without spectators.

The opening ceremony will also be held without spectators. The National Stadium in Shinjuku, Tokyo, where the ceremony takes place, has a capacity of 68,000, but only about 950 people, including tournament officials and dignitaries from various countries, will be admitted excluding the athletes. Approximately 800 will attend from overseas and 150 from within Japan.

The size of the athlete delegations has also been significantly reduced. The South Korean delegation consists of 232 athletes and 122 officials, coaches, and support staff, totaling 354 people. Considering safety due to the spread of COVID-19, only about 6 officials and 30 athletes plan to attend the opening ceremony. The South Korean delegation will enter 103rd, led by co-flag bearers Hwang Sun-woo (swimming) and Kim Yeon-koung (volleyball).

The United States will have about 230 of its 613 athletes attend. China (777 athletes) and Japan (582 athletes), which have assembled their largest-ever delegations, will also send only some athletes. As a result, the athlete parade, which usually takes more than two hours, is expected to be more concise.

‘No measures’ have also come under scrutiny as COVID-19 cases continue to emerge in the Olympic Village. On the 22nd, one day before the Tokyo Olympics opening, four more people tested positive for COVID-19 in the Olympic Village, bringing the total number of infected participants in this tournament to 87. Since most residents of the Olympic Village are overseas arrivals, daily COVID-19 cases have raised concerns about it becoming an ‘infection cluster.’ The Asahi Shimbun cited a woman in her 50s working in the Olympic Village, saying, “It would not be surprising if a mass infection occurs at any time.” Despite the summer Olympics taking place amid the worst heatwave, athletes are also complaining about inconveniences such as rooms shared by 4-5 people lacking TVs and refrigerators, and air conditioner remotes only in Japanese.

At least attention is focused on the torchbearers, the highlight of the opening ceremony. The final torchbearer is kept secret, and various athletes are being mentioned. Currently, wrestling legend Saori Yoshida and judo representative Tadahiro Nomura are being mentioned. Both hold three Olympic gold medals each. Additionally, there is speculation about the possible appearance of a surprise figure at the opening ceremony to convey messages about overcoming the devastation of the Great East Japan Earthquake.