>> I can say it's now clearer than ever that these games will be safe for everyone participating,
and importantly, safe for the people of Japan.
You see, it's the greed of the IOC that is pushing this through. With the games proceeding,
Japan's Dr. Anthony Fauci, Shigeru Omi expressed great concern to the country's leaders saying
it's not normal to stage something like the Olympics in the midst of a pandemic.
>> As it struggles through a fourth wave in the hardest hit city of Osaka,
COVID hospital beds are nearly at capacity. >> Perhaps no greater example than this.
>> The athlete who tested positive on arrival appears to have been turned back, but
teammates who could be considered close contacts were apparently allowed to carry on.
>> And even this. >> My biggest concern is is we have
not yet suppressed COVID transmission locally. >> Venues will be limited to just 50%
capacity with a maximum of 10,000 domestic spectators. No foreigners allowed to fly in.
>> So look, they will put in these measures to pretend they care.
But as Dr. Omi put it, why on earth are we doing this in the current circumstances?
The purpose hasn't quite been made clear. The Business Standard reported this line
of questioning is highly unusual. >> If the state of emergency is
redeclared during the games, they would then reconsider to have no spectators.
But again,
it looks as though the games will go ahead. >> Those in the stands will have to wear masks
and they won't be allowed to shout their support. Athletes too will be
banned from high fiving or hugging one another. >> People are asked to make sacrifices and put up
with the restrictions, but the government wants to hold the games with spectators.
I don't understand them. >> Per the Associated Press,
only about 7% of the Japanese are fully vaccinated. And even though the government
is now supercharging its vaccine drive after a slow start, the vast majority of the population
still won't be immunized when the games start. The country's low vaccination rate, especially
compared with other rich countries and variants on the rise, there have prompted some public health
experts in recent weeks to express concerns about the games or a call for them to be cancelled.
>> If we send an inconsistent signal that we should celebrate Olympic,
then people will be confused with the larger risk of local transmission.
>> The BBC reported current polls in the host country show nearly 70% of the Japanese population
do not want the Olympics to go ahead. It appears the majority opinion rings true
with Japanese Emperor Naruhito via Yasuhiko Nishamura, the grand steward of the agency.
I suppose that he is concerned that while there are voices of anxiety among the public,
the event may lead to the expansion of infections, Nishimura said. This point is given credence
via a group of US public health experts in the New England Journal of Medicine.
They recommend the World Health Organization immediately convene
an emergency committee to advise on a risk management approach for the Tokyo Olympics.
In the absence of regular testing, participants may become infected
during the Olympics and pose a risk when they return home to more than
200 countries, they wrote. We believe the IOC's determination to proceed with the
Olympic Games is not informed by the best scientific evidence the researchers wrote.
The playbooks maintain that athletes participate
at their own risk, while failing both to distinguish the various levels of risk faced
by athletes. And to recognize the limitations of measures such as temperature screenings and
face coverings. Per Business Insider, the cost to put on the games is more than $26 billion.
Coupled with spending nearly $3 billion to postpone from last year,
organizers are keen on the games taking place. As the AP wrote, the Tokyo games are caught
between concerns about the coronavirus at a time when fewer vaccinated on one side and
politicians who hope to save face by holding the games.
And the IOC with billions of dollars on the line on the other.
Incredibly, even if the host country wanted to cancel the games,
they don't have a choice. >> I asked them to respect this political
neutrality of the Olympic Games and by not using them as a stage for their political purposes.
>> This man, IOC President Thomas Bach, who thinks athletes should shut up and dribble has final say.
The contract between the IOC and host city Tokyo is straightforward. There's one article regarding
cancellation and it only gives the option for the IOC to cancel, not for the host city.
That's because the Olympic Games are the exclusive property of the IOC, International
sports lawyer Alexandra Miguel Mestre told the BBC. And as the owner of the games, it is the IOC
that can terminate said contract.