The Tokyo Olympic games are happening this summer … for now

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic games, because of Coronavirus, were delayed into 2021. There’ve been many things that needed to change because of Covid-19, like added regulations on the games, changes to the date when it starts and ends, and consideration for how safe it will be to go to Tokyo.

In an article from the official website of the Olympic games called “Safety First: Tokyo 2020 Games To Excite And Inspire The World” stated “Following the publication of the first edition of key stakeholder playbooks in February, the finer details of the COVID-19 countermeasures continue to be worked on in preparation of the publication of the second edition by the end of April.” This shows that even though the organizers had not figured out all the details to keep participants and spectators safe, those plans should be coming soon. With Covid-19 affecting the entire globe with only vaccinations being recently available, there are a lot of new rules that will need to be created in order to have the games.

Furthermore, the New York Times article, “The Tokyo 2020 Olympics: What you need to know,” states that “The 2020 Olympics will officially kick off with the opening ceremony in Tokyo on July 24, with preliminary softball and soccer matches starting on July 22, and run through August 9. Following a two-week breather, the Paralympics will begin August 25 and conclude September 6.”  This means that, at least right now the Olympic games will still be happening. With the pandemic still happening, the people in charge would need to be more careful or this could ruin their reputation.

A CNN article, “Pulling off Tokyo 2020 will be a logistical nightmare … and the clock is ticking” stated that “It might just be doable. The UFC and the NBA proved last year that it’s possible to safely hold a major sporting event during the pandemic, as long as those involved are willing to make some sacrifices and get creative. UFC moved all its fights to an island in Abu Dhabi, while the NBA finished its 2019-2020 season at a campus in Disney World with stringent rules to keep the virus out. Both proved successful, but those two events pale in comparison to the Summer Olympics in terms of sheer size and complexity.” This proves that the Olympics can be possible. However, the UFC and the NBA are much smaller undertakings than the big event of the Olympics.  The Tokyo Olympic games can be something that we can look forward to, but only if Covid-19 doesn’t enter another wave and if the Olympics don’t get delayed because of something else.

In conclusion, the Tokyo Olympic games can be done with the right regulations in place, less spread of Covid-19 spreads, and if the event starts without major delays.