We are just two months away from the opening date of the 2020 Olympic Games and one thing is clear: the resistance to the Games is growing. A petition to cancel the Olympics received a quarter million signatures in just one day.
The rationale is that the pandemic is far from over and pursuing the Games would be denying their very own purpose of “celebrating peace”. Moreover, restrictive regulations will likely put athletes under extreme stress.
Speaking about restrictive regulations one must refer to what is called the Olympic Playbook for athletes and officials. (It's funny that the IOC, while talking about the "playbooks" and their content, points out that they are in fact "rulebooks", which indeed they are. So, why on earth, use this ridiculous, marketing-inspired, "playbook" moniker?). And the regulations as delineated in the playbooks are restrictive indeed.
-All participants are required to take two COVID-19 tests before their flight to Japan.
-In principle, athletes and all those in close proximity with athletes will be tested daily to minimise the risk of undetected positive cases that could transmit the virus. The dates and times will be set in line with the sports events and schedule.
-All other Games participants will be tested daily for three days after their arrival. After the first three days and throughout their stay, they will be tested regularly, based on the operational nature of their role and level of contact with athletes.
-All Games participants must, in principle, only follow the activities they have outlined in their activity plan. They must minimise contact within one metre of Games participants who have already been in Japan for more than 14 days, and Japanese residents.
-All Games participants must, in principle, exclusively use dedicated Games vehicles, and they are not allowed to use public transport.
-All Games participants must, in principle, eat only in the limited locations where COVID-19 countermeasures are in place, including catering facilities at Games venues, their accommodation's restaurant, and their rooms, using room service or food delivery.
World Athletics have issued a set of rules where some are useful, like,
In combined events, the room used by athletes to recover between disciplines should be open-air, if possible. Coaches should be encouraged to interact with their athletes using electronic devices.
but many utterly ridiculous, like,
-starting blocks should be cleaned between each race
- chlorine should be added to the water jump for the steeplechase
- relay batons should be cleaned between each use, and relay teams should be discouraged from gathering or hugging after a race
- the use of hand sanitiser should be recommended before each attempt in vertical jumps
- officials should clean the landing mat between each jump, using a mop and virucidal solution or use a thin layer of recyclable plastic or tissue that can be placed on the jumping mats and in jumping pits should be mixed with a solution that contains biodegradable and non-skin-aggressive virucide agent (N.B. the syntax of the sentence is the original one)
- officials who handle throwing implements should clean their hands or use disposable gloves after each handling
(If you wonder why I consider these measures ridiculous I suggest you read the "Hygiene Theater" by D. Thompson).
But the main difficulty with the Olympics is that they will not be possible without the help from healthcare workers, medical institutions, and other medical resources. Many medical professionals have already stated publicly that there is no room for more medical demands.
A friend of mine living in Tokyo sent me a photo of a hospital where one can read: "the hospitals have reached their limits", "stop the Games" and "it's impossible to organise the Games".
The authors of the petition point out that the lack of medical resources that Tokyo and the rest of Japan is suffering from (do not forget that Japan is trailing last among developed countries in per capita vaccinations) should suggest just how much the Games will cause danger and fear to healthcare workers, citizens, and participants.
I am not a fan of the Games. If they are held, I will be in front of the tv watching the athletics competitions. And if they are cancelled, I just hope that World Athletics will draw their consequences and distance themselves from the Olympics.
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