Finally. The Tokyo Olympics will be declared open on Friday. Fifteen months of suspense, disbelief, and critics slamming the local organising committee and the International Olympic Committee notwithstanding, high voltage action will begin.
In the build-up to the Olympics, there have been any number of people doubting the possibility of the Games happening. In a few hours from now, the archery competition will begin. Later, on Friday evening, the watered down opening ceremony will be held.
It is hard to imagine an Olympics without the fans. One can well argue with the pandemic raging in Japan and the state of emergency continuing, allowing fans would be fraught with danger. The initial plan was to allow `10,000 spectators but the way the Covid-19 virus has mutated, it has made life hell for the entire world. Thus, to avoid any flare up in Tokyo, there will be no spectators.
In a sporting spectacle as big as the Olympics, the spectators are the life and soul of the spectacular fortnight. If it was bad enough international spectators were banned, to leave out even the local Japs is pathetic.
The blame for the same will have to be taken by the government in Japan. Their planning for the pandemic was poor. They postponed the Games 15 months ago. Even as the world raced to find a way to battle the virus waves and started vaccinating their population, Japan, a First World country, was slow in reacting. The end result is even as Europe and America witness top class sporting events, the Tokyo Olympics will go down in history as worst planned in the face of adversity.
People in Tokyo say the bureaucracy in Japan is worse than India. Their vaccination rate is poor, their own doctors are averse to the Game, which is most scary. Yes, the games will go on but the fans have been robbed of watching it live. The solace is you will see the action on TV sets but minus fans cheering the athletes, it will be a sight as sombre as watching proceedings at a sad event.
To say that absence of fans is the new normal is bunkum. The world of sport is seeing fans back in stands at the Grand Slams in tennis, Formula One Grand Prix and also football’s blue riband Euro Cup and Copa America Cup. However, Tokyo and the government in Japan have bungled. Sample this, journalists who were supposed to fly out were tripped by the organisers at the last minute. Private accommodation was banned and the official hotels are a rip-off. Worse, when you cannot sample the city’s energy and every area is banned from pubs to parks and malls to movies, this will be like a jail.
Those who have gone to Tokyo, notably the athletes, face huge restrictions. It is understandable, due to safety reasons. However, to not mingle with the other athletes and live in fear can be indeed stressful.
Never mind.
Once the Games begin, the IOC will celebrate records being broken in a whole gamut of disciplines. The international federations will also be happy their Olympic cycle would have been completed. Maybe, despite the pandemic, we will still see even more superb results as the athletes have been preparing with a method in madness.
As regards India, the medal hopes are high. Neeraj Chopra, Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, Mirabhai Chanu, Manu Bhaker, Mary Kom, and many more are being touted as medal prospects. In Rio, PV Sindhu won silver. This time, fans want a gold from her!
What happened in Rio was a disaster, one silver and one bronze from Sakshi Malik. This time, the Indian government has spent money with a large heart. The coordination has been more concerted. And the nation hopes, medals will come in large numbers to lift their spirits.
Jai Hind.
