Japanese fans will “cheer for all athletes” at the Tokyo Olympics, organisers pledged yesterday, after the unprecedented decision to bar overseas spectators from attending over Covid-19 fears.
Games sports director Mikako Kotani acknowledged that the absence of overseas fans, decided Saturday by Olympic chiefs, will be a “loss in terms of harmony and diversity,”
But she insisted Japanese spectators can make up for it by supporting athletes of all nationalities, and said she wants Tokyo to feel like “the whole world” this summer.
“I want to make sure the athletes don’t feel that it’s only Japanese fans in the venues,” she said.
“Japanese people hold fair play and hospitality very dear, and we will root for all athletes equally. It might look like everyone is Japanese, but we want to raise the awareness of Japanese fans so that it feels like Tokyo is the whole world.”
Aside from the fact that the Olympics will actually go ahead, this is perhaps the most cheerful piece of news coming out of Tokyo on the Games front.
But is it?
The ban will make the Tokyo Games the first ever without overseas spectators, with organisers calling the decision disappointing but “unavoidable” as they try to hold the event safely during the pandemic.
The International Olympic Committee has reportedly sought limited exemptions for some overseas guests, but the rules are likely to be strict.
Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto said yesterday that no decision had yet been taken on whether the families of overseas athletes will be allowed to enter Japan, but “at this point, in general, they will be treated the same way as other overseas fans”.
But Muto also said some “essential” overseas volunteers will be allowed to take part, citing those with “expert and specialised knowledge” who are necessary for the “smooth operation of the competition”.
Already the Games have lost their charm in the eyes of many sports fans and some athletes too, who have opted out due to concerns over the virus. After all, many supremely fit athletes have suffered from the disease.
This scepticism continues despite the fact that in many countries, especially the developed ones, vaccination against the disease is going on at a fast pace.
It’s not known however how many overseas fans were keen to attend the Olympics considering the pandemic situation and the extra troubles they would have had to take to make the trip.
But while the Japanese authorities need to be praised for all they have done to ensure the Olympics are held, there’s little doubt that the Games won’t feel the same.
