Japan is facing a serious conundrum. It has sunk so much money into the Olympics.
Officially, $15.4 billion US dollars. And if Tokyo cancels the Games, the country stands to
lose an estimated $16.5 billion. So organizers are loathe to stop the Games. But citizens see
a public health danger if the event moves forward. The majority do not want it to happen - especially
because most of the country remains un-vaccinated. Aussie Spirit - the Australian Olympic softball
team - is the first international squad to arrive in Japan.
And they're facing unprecedented restrictions - no restaurants,
no sightseeing, and certainly no socializing. "I think these athletes well know that they
have to take great responsibility for their own behavior as well. They’re committed to do that,
they’re committed to not only look after themselves but do the right thing by the Japanese
population as well and be ready for the Games. Most people in Japan don't want the
Olympics Games to happen. They're questioning the sense of
15,000 Olympic and Paralympic athletes from more than 200 countries traveling to Japan,
at a time when serious COVID-19 cases have recently hit new highs.
And the nation's slow vaccination roll out isn't helping either.
"Japan has been working hard to roll vaccines out,
but demand did not match with supply in the first place."
Japanese Olympic athletes are now being offered jabs.
But only about two and a half percent of Japan's population has been fully vaccinated so far.
Despite all this, the organizers are standing firm.
"Sports events are held all over the world,
and as I've said, there are no examples of COVID-19 clusters of the infection spreading.
Therefore, we believe that we don't need to think about canceling now."
The arrival of Australia's softball team is a huge show of confidence in the beleaguered event.
All team members tested negative after landing. But the question remains - will this be enough
to restore the confidence of the Japanese public in the Games?