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With the Tokyo Olympics set to begin soon, fears of the Coronavirus continue to spur. There are just over 170 confirmed cases of the Coronavirus in Japan with currently no sign of slowing. The Tokyo Olympics are estimated to cost Japan 26 billion US dollars to host the event, therefore a cancellation would be devastating. Dick Pound of the International Olympics Committee said to the associated press that the “outright cancellation of the Games, rather than postponement or relocation, would be likely if the disease proved too dangerous for the event.”(AP) Despite this, for fiscal reasons Japan and the Olympics Committee are still scheduled to hold the event. “Our basic thoughts are that we will go ahead with the Olympic and Paralympic Games as scheduled,” Toshiro Muto, the CEO of the Tokyo organizing committee.” Despite the seeming ‘go-ahead’ on the event, there is a chance that Olympians will withdraw. During the 2016 Olympics, concerns of the Zika virus caused Olympians of the likes of LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Rory Mcllroy, and Jason Day to withdraw from the competition. Australia's “federal sports minister says the nation's athletes could be pulled out of the Tokyo Olympics”. So far, many sources believe that since the virus is fairly new, “It is far too early to get in a panic over the fate of the Tokyo Olympics.”(UT) A decision is to be made by May.
If you got tickets to go to the Tokyo Olympics, would you still go? (based on current knowledge)
Do you believe a cancellation is possible? Why or why not?
If the virus becomes a pandemic, is it insensitive of the Committee to continue with the Competition?
Personally, I would still go to the Tokyo Olympics if I already have tickets because it is unlikely that I would want to buy tickets again in the future. Additionally, If the event does not get cancelled it must mean that conditions are safe. If conditions do get worse, I think it would be best for the event to be cancelled to protect the health of the public. The olympics is an event attended by people all around the world and if the virus is still spreading it could be carried to more countries affecting many more people. If Australia chooses to pull out their athletes from the competition, the olympics committee should consider cancelling the event. The event is designed for all nations to participate in and if they feel that their public health is at risk, the committee should respect that and consider the health benefits of cancelling the event.
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DeleteGiven the current state of the coronavirus, I would be wary of going to the Tokyo Olympics considering that we still don't know how bad the conditions are going to be when time comes for the Tokyo Olympics. If conditions get so bad to the point where athletes begin pulling out of the event, I would more than likely not attend the Tokyo Olympics because the Olympics wouldn't feel like a whole anymore. To me the Olympics is more than just a competition; it symbolizes international cooperation and unity.
ReplyDeleteI am feeling incredibly inspired after having read this. Thank you so much for your thoughts on the issue at hand.
DeleteIf I got tickets to go to the Olympics in Tokyo, I would be wary because we don't know how much worse it is going to spread within the time between now and the Summer Olympics late July and early August. Due to the fact that the spread of the coronavirus doesn't seem to be slowing down, I highly doubt that I would go. I don't know if a cancellation is possible for the Olympics because they continued the Olympics in Rio when there was a Zika virus outbreak. Based on the knowledge from 2 years ago, I don't think they will cancel the Summer Olympics in Tokyo unless it gets severely worse. If the virus does become a pandemic, I think it would be insensitive to continue with the competition. However if it does become a pandemic, I think that most countries would drop out of the competition and ultimately there wouldn't be any competition then. I also believe that if they were to continue to compete, the Olympics could be responsible for a further outbreak of coronavirus around the world.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to see at the moment how the coronavirus situation will play out. I think there's too much paranoia and inflated panic around the issue. I think we should wait to see how it all plays out when summer rolls around. Last I checked, the virus' mortality rate really depends on age and health. I trust that Japan can handle the virus well, and that it won't spread too much across Tokyo. I'm not really worried about the virus.
ReplyDeleteIf I had tickets to the Tokyo Olympics, I definitely would go regardless of the disease situation due to the primary fatalities of coronavirus being the old and weak, with the disease hardly infecting the younger population at all. For me, the Tokyo Olympics is a much anticipated and important event. However, I definitely would take precautions against the virus, such as taking face masks and washing my hands.
ReplyDeleteA cancellation is definitely possible given the precedent of disease control in China, Japan, and Italy; Cancellation of major events, quarantine of cities, etc. Given this history, the cancellation of the Tokyo olympics is highly likely.
If the virus becomes a pandemic, I wouldn't say it would be insensitive to continue with the olympics, as it is a much anticipated event, and often is a lifetime's work for many athletes. With this, it would be insensitive to not consider the coronavirus, but not insensitive to go on with hosting the olympics.
If I had tickets to the Olympic, I would still go despite the risk. I personally think that it has not yet gotten to the degree that the Olympics should be cancelled, but it not unlikely that it could possibly happen. I think that all the participating countries ought to have a say in whether or not it should be cancelled, especially Japan, who has put so much effort and resources into this expensive event. On the other hand, the coronavirus should definitely be taken seriously as the Olympics is an international event that would bring millions of people from around the world together and could have devastating consequences if safety precautions are not taken.
ReplyDeleteIf I had tickets and the Olympics weren't canceled, I would still go. I mean, if the Olympics aren't canceled, it must mean that it is safe to go to Japan and enjoy the games. Furthermore, going to the Olympics is one of those experiences that are unique. Now, do I think a cancellation of the Olympics is possible? Yes, I think there's a chance, although is it a very small one. The Olympics start in June, so there's time for this situation to get better or worse so let's just hope for the better.
ReplyDeleteI definitely would not go to the Olympics if the current affairs were to continue. Personally, I don't think it is worth the higher risk of getting sick by exposing myself to the environment, just to go watch. However, even if I would not personally go, I think that it is very likely for the Olympics to be cancelled or at the very least postponed, as if the issue were to escalate (especially in Tokyo), I don't think the government or committee planning the olympics would want that magnitude of people potentially getting sick. Ultimately, if the issue does become pandemic, I do believe that the committee would be insensitive to continue with the games as they are essentially allowing people to put their lives at risk.
ReplyDeleteI would most likely not go the Olympics given the current state of coronavirus. The virus seems to be spreading really easily and I wouldn't want to be in such a crowded place like the Olympics. Given the amount of money invested in the Olympics, I cannot see it getting cancelled, but probably postponed. I feel like the Olympic committee would be willing to push the Olympics back a year. Obviously, there is still time for the state of coronavirus to change and we will not know what will happen to the Olympics for a few more months. I am not sure if it is insensitive to continue the Olympics, however I just do not think it is wise to continue the Olympics if the coronavirus keeps spreading.
ReplyDeleteThe pandemic of COVID-19 will certainly influence many people's decisions to travel abroad for vacation this summer. That being said, the amount of cases reported in Japan have been relatively small enough that a visitation will pose little threat. If the Olympics started now and I had tickets, then I would consider going. However, the amount of cases will certainly rise in Asiatic countries in the coming months. It's best to not plan a trip there over the summer. If the current trends of this infectious disease continue to grow exponentially like we have seen, then there is definitely a real possibility for a cancellation of the Tokyo games. If not, there will certainly be a drop in visitation. The virus is "technically" a pandemic by definition but it has not been officially declared by the CDC or the WHO. The Olympics committee must decide whether or not the risk is worth it and face the consequences if they do not act.
ReplyDeleteDespite the current situation regarding the spread of the coronavirus, I would still attend the Olympics if I had tickets. Although there have been many cases of the coronavirus in Japan, I don’t think that the risk factors or exposure in Japan would be much higher than the risks that I experience on a day to day basis seeing as the virus has already traveled all around the globe, including areas close to home. At the rate at which the virus is spreading and mutating, I think that there is definitely a possibility for the Olympics to be cancelled since it had been already stated that if conditions worsen, the Olympics will be cancelled. On top of that, with the lack of a vaccine, I do not believe that controlling the spread of the virus will be easily contained, especially in only a span of a few months.
ReplyDeleteIf I had a ticket, I probably would not go. I was listening to a podcast where they were saying that what's scary about Coronavirus is not where it comes from or who it comes from, but rather community spread. And I think that's the reason why so many schools are closing down, colleges are cancelling classes, and events are being cancelled--because corona is contagious and can be spread very easily if there are a lot of people. I understand the fear and concern, especially for older people or people with compromised immune systems. In that sense, a cancellation is entirely possible. If the committee continues with the competition if it turns into a pandemic, I wouldn't say that it's insensitive, but just not wise because there wouldn't be that much hype over the event given an empty audience. They might lose money and not get the media coverage that it deserves.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a devastating situation because olympians often train their whole lives to be part of the games, and many of them will be too old to participate in the next ones. I know that housing many athletes and observers together is not the right thing to do during this time, but perhaps the games could happen without many spectators, or they get postponed. Both of those ideas are unorthodox, but the situation the the world is in right now is not something we have had to deal with in the past, so our solutions need to be creative.
ReplyDeleteIts interesting looking back at this news when we are currently in the middle of a pandemic. As Kelsey said, it is very devistating for athletes who train so hard just to have the Olympics be postponed. As much as this situation of postponing isn't idea, at least the Olympics are still going to happen.
ReplyDeleteI would probably not go as the risk of contracting the coronavirus is very high. The main way that the Olympic committee makes money is through selling tickets to the people that come to see the games. Because of that, they will try to seat as many people in the stadium as possible. The only way that they can do this is by making the seats as close together as possible so that many people can sit in the audience. It would be very unprofitable for them if all the seats were spaced 6 feet away as the regulations require. Instead of a cancellation, I believe that a postponement is more likely. The games are very symbolic and canceling them outright would lead to a lot of backlash.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, if I had tickets I would not risk going because I would not want to endanger my family, friends, or other people. I believe that one has to really assess their situations and should really weigh the benefits vs the dangers involved with this highly contagious virus. The Olympics are crowded and congested, the perfect environment for the virus to be transmitted. I believe cancelation is possible, if nothing else postponement of the games. I believe that it is ill advised for the games to be held especially with their being no vaccine near in sight. I suppose they could have the athletes compete and then relay the footage to the world. It would be nearly the same as any other Olympics, just without an audience.
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