Olympic games, 2021 and this is it

By Guillaume Mahot

A few weeks ago, Japan, by the voice of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, had decided to postpone the 2020 Olympic Games to 2021 because of the current pandemic, and that coronavirus disease spreading all across the world, making it hard to foresee and organize any sports competition, event and show. All the athletes (represented by their country) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) presided by Thomas Bach, along with Japan, had then succeeded in reaching an agreement to organize the Games in 2021. Some more words and a clarification had to be made recently, because the possibility to wait more than one year emerged little by little. Impossible for Japan!

Yoshiro Mori, president of the organization committee, asserted this week that “no single chance” was standing for an organization of the Olympic Games beyond July 23, 2021. In the beginning, Japan was considering a two-year delay, but the solution to have only a one-year postponement was eventually approved on. If Yoshiro Mori had to make it clear, it is because Japanese experts started to say that it would be tough to have those Games in 2021, especially because no one knows whether the disease will have been tackled or not by the time the OG are supposed to occur. For some of them, 2022 would be more relevant.

Again, it is quite difficult to foresee anything for the time being. Who can be sure that the pandemic will be over in 2021? The Euro 2020 (football) was also postponed to 2021, but the World Health Organization recently recommended to the UEFA that European football should wait until the end of 2021…In other words, no single game before that date!

People try to find solutions in the midst of uncertainty. But we can understand Yoshiro Mori’s point of view, since postponing the Olympic Games means a lot of money to spend for Japan, more costs and fees, which is not the best in those times of economic woes.

Africa Global News Publication