“Never put the Olympics first” – Japan PM on prioritizing people before the Tokyo Olympic Games
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Japan PM Yoshihide Suga
The COVID-19 pandemic again poses to be a threat to the Tokyo Olympics as the host country Japan has been forced to impose an extension of the state of emergency with huge surge in COVID cases. Earlier, the Tokyo Olympics which was to be held in the year 2020, was postponed to the current year for the safety of the athletes and the people involved in the event due to the outbreak of the COVID-19.
On Monday, Japan Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said that he has “Never put the Olympics First” when he was questioned whether the Games would happen even if the infection spikes. Previously Tokyo, Osaka and several other areas came under a third state of emergency last week, and the death toll in Japan from COVID-19 passed the 10,000 mark. The number of cases has also led to the much-publicized trip of Thomas Bach to the country this month getting cancelled.
Polls reflect public opinion on Tokyo Olympics
In addition to this, more than 59% of the people who participated in a public opinion survey conducted between May 7-9 by Yomiuri Shimbun daily, have elected for cancellation of the International event whereas 38% of the participants have supported for the Tokyo Olympics 2021 to be conducted as scheduled, with Postponement not provided as an option.
The TBS News conducted another poll and the results indicated that 65% of the Japanese population wants the event to be called off (38%) or delayed(27%). More than 3,00,000 people have signed the online petition, “Cancel the Tokyo Olympics to protect our lives” roughly 5 days within the launch of the Games.
Prioritize people before Olympics, says Japan PM
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga made it very clear as to what his priority was recently, saying, “My priority has been to protect the lives and health of the Japanese population. We must first prevent the spread of the virus.”
The Japanese Prime Minister also stated that he would ensure that the games will take place in “a safe and secure way” along with the International Olympic officials, Tokyo planners. A detailed playbook of rules for the conduct of games was published by last month and there has been a ban issued for foreign spectators. He finally stated that the government shall take all necessary steps to ensure safe conduct of the games and the final decision regarding the happening of Tokyo Olympics 2021 stays in the hands of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka has her say
Japanese tennis superstar Naomi Osaka had her say on the Olympic Games recently as she said, “Of course I would say I want the Olympics to happen, because I’m an athlete and that’s sort of what I have been waiting for my entire life. But I think that there is so much important stuff going on, and especially the past year, I think a lot of unexpected things have happened. At the end of the day I’m just an athlete, and there is a whole pandemic going on.”
Osaka has thus, expressed that there needs to be a discussion regarding the risks and obstacles involved in organizing the games under the current pandemic situation. She further stated that though she had been waiting all her lifetime to participate in this event, the safety of the people is the first thing to be emphasized.
Tokyo Olympics 2021 is set to take place from July 23 to August 7, but now serious doubts have arisen as to whether they would go ahead as per the schedule.
Also Read: Naomi Osaka unsure if the Olympics should go ahead, wants discussion around it!
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