The Olympic Games, postponed from 2020 to 2021 due to the pandemic, have a “100%” chance of being held, the president of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, Seiko Hashimoto, said on Thursday, despite persistent opposition from the Japanese public. 50 days after the opening of the event.
In an interview offered this Thursday by BBC Sport, Hashimoto declared that she was convinced that the Games will be held, as planned, between July 23 and August 8, after being postponed for a year due to the pandemic.
“I think the possibility of the Games being held is 100%, we will do them,” he said.
He also explained that these Games could be the first in history to be played behind closed doors, if the exclusion of local spectators is decided in the coming weeks to prevent infections. The organization has already ruled out the possibility of having fans from abroad.
“The biggest challenge will be knowing how we can control and manage the flow of people. If an epidemic occurs during the Games, it would be a crisis, an emergency situation, and we have to be prepared to organize these Games without spectators, “he explained.
Hashimoto made these statements while the Tokyo-2020 organization celebrated this Thursday the 50 days prior to the opening of the event, offering details about the awarding of medals, with podiums made of recyclable plastic, and about the music that the crowned athletes will hear.
«There are 50 days left. I have the impression of being able to hear the sound of the footsteps of the athletes heading towards Tokyo, ”said Hashimoto at a ceremony held at the Ariake Arena, one of the Olympic venues.
“We are fully prepared thanks to infection prevention measures,” he told a group of athletes.
“And for Japan to feel safe welcoming them, I ask all athletes to be responsible for their actions, to respect the rules,” he added.
Mickael Payne, former head of marketing for the International Olympic Committee (IOC), assured AFP that “the strict controls established by the organization and the IOC cut off any direct contact between international visitors and the Japanese.”
Before Thursday’s ceremony, Hashimoto had stated that a cancellation of the Games at this point is practically inconceivable. “Only if several countries in the world experience very serious situations and most of the delegations cannot come, we cannot organize them,” he told the Nikkan Sports newspaper.
– 10,000 volunteers retire –
“Unless such a situation arises, the Games will not be canceled,” he added.
An example of the difficulties the organization has encountered, Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto told local media on Wednesday that nearly 10,000 of the 80,000 volunteers scheduled for the Olympic and Paralympic Games had thrown in the towel at the recent months, mainly due to health concerns.
“I think there is no doubt that one of the reasons is concern about coronavirus infections,” he said.
Others have withdrawn for scheduling reasons after the Games were postponed for a year, or to protest sexist remarks by Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori, who was forced to resign in February and was replaced by Seiko Hashimoto.
Muto assured that the least amount of volunteers – used as guides, assistants or translators – will not affect the Games.
Due to a fourth wave of infections, Tokyo and nine other departments will remain in a state of health emergency until a month before the Games.
Most Japanese are opposed to holding the big event, according to various polls.
Hashimoto said he has the feeling that public opinion is changing its mind as the vaccination campaign accelerates in Japan, a country that has recorded 13,000 deaths from coronavirus since the beginning of 2020. But only 2.9% of the population you have received both doses of the vaccine.
Japan has controlled the pandemic with relative success, compared to many other countries, with 13,000 official deaths since the beginning of 2020. (GG) (AFP)