Seven days to go for the commencement of the biggest sporting event on the planet, athletes from every part of the world have started entering the safety bubble in Tokyo. But is the safety bubble safe enough? What happens if an athlete tests positive for the virus? What is at stake for the Tokyo residents? Is it a run for wealth or a run for health?
On 14th July, Tokyo reported 1,149 new infections- the highest number of COVID-19 cases in almost six months. Even before the surge in cases was witnessed, the Japanese government had declared a state of emergency in Tokyo starting from 8th July till 22nd August. 10,000 Japanese fans were initially allowed to attend the games but now, athletes have to participate in fan-less stadiums in Tokyo, Chiba, Kanagawa, and Saitama. According to 'Kyodo News' the organizers are cutting the number of people physically attending the opening ceremony on July 23. Various measures are taken so that Japan's emperor Naruhito can attend the ceremony and declare the event open. U.S. first lady Jill Biden are among the international guest attending the ceremony.
A RUN FOR WEALTH
In terms of money, $15.4 billion in investment will go in vain as the spectators are not allowed to enter the stadiums. Moreover, if the games were canceled, International Olympic Committee (IOC) would have incurred a loss of $4 billion – the TV rights income which constitutes 70% of the IOC's revenue. The sponsorships associated with the event account for hundreds of millions of dollars more which would have gone down the drain if the games were canceled. IOC distributes $549 million among the national Olympic committees as solidarity payments (IOC doesn't provide how much each National committee gets). This payment helps several Olympic committees as the money is used for youth development programs and paying for training subsidies.
WHAT HAPPENS IF AN ATHLETE TESTS POSITIVE FOR THE VIRUS?
The IOC has formulated Sports-Specific Regulations (SSR) to determine the fate of a Covid-19 positive athlete. Athletes would be tested daily, especially in the morning. A negative test will be required for participation in the events failing which the athlete or the team would be categorized as 'did not start (DNS)' instead of disqualifying them. For team events, the player testing positive can be replaced by another player. Many sports have multiple events on different days.
For example, in a team event such as Hockey, if a team tests positive after a knockout round, they have to withdraw from the event; the team they beat to get to the next round would take their place. In track and field events, the positive tested player will be replaced by the next-highest ranking player from the heats. Whereas in events like badminton, boxing- the opponent will receive a 'bye' and there will be no replacement. If a player from the individual event tests positive on the day of finals, then the player would be given a silver medal. But for close contact sports such as wrestling, the rules are different. Suppose a player is tested positive on the day of the finals of the wrestling event, then that player will be replaced by the player who was defeated in the semi-finals. However, the replacement player has to get a negative test as he or she has come in direct contact with the corona positive player.
NO ACTIVISM ACTIVITIES
Tommie Smith and John Carlo may be celebrated as civil rights heroes now (53 years ago, they led the medal podium protest in Mexico City) but if they had done such a protest in the recent Olympics, then they would have faced charges from IOC. For years now, IOC has followed Rule 50 which states "no kind of demonstrations or political, religious or racial propaganda" would be permitted at Olympics sites.
The US athletes determined to use their platform to fight for racial equality in the wake of George Floyd's murder will not be supported by the IOC.
MOST LGBTQ+ ATHLETES TO TAKE PART
Tokyo Olympics would be the most inclusive sporting event in the history of Olympics games. A report by 'Outsports' confirmed that at least 135 publicly out LGBTQ athletes will take part in the Tokyo Olympics which is greater than the number of publicly out athletes who have participated in all of the previous Summer Olympics games combined. This year, 25 different countries will be represented by at least one publicly out the athlete in 26 sports. Team USA will have the maximum number of publicly out athletes followed by Britain, Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and Brazil.
US WILL SEND 2ND-LARGEST TEAM IN THE HISTORY
The US Olympic and Paralympics committee had stated that the roaster would include 613 athletes which will include 329 women athletes which account for more than half of the delegation for a third straight summer game. The 1996 games were hosted on home soil in Atlanta-648 members were selected, thus making the 2021 team the second largest.
MEDALS AND MEDAL CEREMONY
During the ancient Olympic games, the winners were awarded olive wreaths or ‘Kotinos’. Kotinos were regarded as the sacred prize in Greece, a symbol of the highest honor. This custom was eventually replaced by medals in 1896. The winner was awarded a silver medal whereas the runners-up would receive a copper or bronze medal. Zeus, the father of the gods was inscribed on the front of the medal holding Nike whereas Acropolis was inscribed at the back of the medal. In the 1904 St.Loius Games, gold, silver, and bronze medals were introduced. In 1923, the IOC launched a competition for sculptors to design medals for the games where Italian artist Giuseppe Cassioli’s design was chosen.
The Tokyo 2020 medals. (via Kyodo News)
The 2016 Rio games became the pioneer of sustainable medals- medals were made of 30% recycled materials-gold medal was mercury-free and the ribbons were made of 50% recycled plastic bottles.
The Tokyo Games will witness medals made out of recycled electronics devices like discarded laptops and smartphones. It will be 8.5cm in diameter, featuring the flying image of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. Moreover, the athletes winning the medals will be presented the medals on a tray. They have to put it around their neck by themselves. No dignitaries would be allowed to felicitate the players.
“The medals will not be given around the neck”, IOC president Thomas Bach said on Wednesday. “They will be presented on a tray and the athlete will take the medal him or herself.”
“It will be made sure the person who will put the medal on the tray will do it with disinfected gloves. Presenters and athletes will wear a mask. There will be no handshakes and no hugs during the ceremony”
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