Official sponsor calls for Tokyo Olympics cancellation citing threat to health amid Covid-19 crisis

Official sponsor calls for Tokyo Olympics cancellation citing threat to health amid Covid-19 crisis

Tokyo Olympics

We are hardly two months away from the much-awaited Tokyo Olympics. The Games which were originally scheduled in 2020 was postponed as the pandemic brought the world to a standstill. Even as the postponed Games draw closer, the deadly virus continues to wreak havoc in the World.

With the general public of Japan against the hosting of the Olympics, the future of the carnival of sports is still uncertain. A recent poll by the Asahi newspaper found 59% of respondents were against any fans, up from 45% in April, with those in favor of just capping attendance dipping to 33% from 49%. An online petition asking the games be canceled has gained 400,000 signatures in a few weeks.

Asahi, who are also the official sponsors of the Tokyo Olympics, have become the first major newspaper in the country to call for the cancellation of the games. “We cannot think it’s rational to host the Olympics in the city this summer,” the newspaper said in its editorial under a headline that read: “We Demand PM Suga Decide Cancellation.”

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“Distrust and backlash against the reckless national government, Tokyo government and stakeholders in the Olympics are nothing but escalating,” the editorial added. “We demand Prime Minister Suga to calmly evaluate the circumstances and decide the cancellation of the summer event.”

Cancellation of Tokyo Olympics to cost Japan whopping $17 bn

Tokyo 2021
Tokyo 2021

Asahi also criticized the IOC, calling it “self-righteous” and also lambasted IOC Vice-President John Coates. Last week Coates was asked if the Olympics would be held if a state of emergency were in force. “Absolutely, yes,” he replied.

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The newspaper said there was a “huge gap” between Coates’ words and the sentiments “of the people.” “Despite its overgrown size and excessive commercialism and many other problems, the Olympics have been supported because of empathy for its ideals. … But what is the reality now?” Asahi asked.

A report by the Nomura Research Institute says cancellation of the mega event could cost Japan 17 billion USD. If the games are held without spectators, it will result in 1.66 trillion yen. With the country under its third state of emergency, the cancellation of the Olympics will exert more pressure on the economy of the country which slumped by 5.1 percent in the first quarter. With the raging pandemic and economic depression at hand, the Japanese government has a tough decision to make.

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