(Fighting New Crown Pneumonia) Global War "Outbreak": World Epidemic Spreads, Tokyo Olympics Adds New Worries
China News Agency, Tokyo, March 20 (Reporter Lu Shaowei and Wu Xu) The flame of the Tokyo Olympic Games arrived in Matsushima, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan on the morning of the 20th. Affected by the new crown pneumonia epidemic, two Japanese passers have not been able to travel to Greece to participate in the flame transfer ceremony. The Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee also held a brief welcome ceremony of "No Audience" on the day.
According to the plan, after the opening ceremony of the "no audience" torch relay was held in Fukushima on the 26th, the 121-day torch relay will be officially opened in Japan. It should have been a time to celebrate the Olympic flame throughout the country, but under special circumstances, the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee still urged the public not to go to refuel and avoid crowds along the way.
As the epidemic spreads around the world, there are more and more speculations about whether the Tokyo Olympics can be held as scheduled, and the "cancellation theory" and "deferral theory" appear from time to time. It is too early for the IOC to make the final decision on whether to hold the meeting as scheduled. Japanese officials are also eager to cool down public opinion, insisting that "the Tokyo Olympics will be held as scheduled and preparations are being made as planned."
On the 18th, the International Olympic Committee held a conference call with 220 athlete representatives. The president of the International Olympic Committee Bach emphasized that it is more than four months before the opening of the Tokyo Olympics. According to Bach, every decision of the International Olympic Committee is based on the future development of the epidemic globally.
However, with the epidemic trend in Europe and the United States not optimistic, and global sports events almost halted or postponed, many parties, including athletes, have expressed concerns about the Tokyo Olympics.
According to Italian media reports, a number of Italian sports officials issued an appeal to the International Olympic Committee on the 19th, hoping that it would change its position on the Tokyo Olympics as planned. "I am not opposed to the Olympics, but in the current epidemic raging around the world, it is not wise to say that the Olympics will be held as scheduled." Said Petrucci, who has been the Italian Olympic Committee chairman for 14 years. The president of Italy and the European Swimming Association, Barelli, suggested that the fate of the Olympic Games should be determined by mid-April. "By April 15th, some athletes have not been training for two months. The training conditions are not ideal and it is ridiculous to talk about the Olympics. "The same point of view was also endorsed by the French Swimming Association chairman Cecinana." The swimming facilities are closed and the athletes are under pressure to train. "
"It's true that many sports organizations have stopped playing, but our environment and background are still different." Bach reiterated in an interview with the US media recently that the idea of postponing the Tokyo Olympics at this stage is not mature, but at the same time the international Olympics The Commission is also exploring different options.
On the other hand, the Japanese government's persistent attitude towards the Olympic Games seems to have not abated. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has repeatedly stated that Japan is making every effort to host an Olympic Games that will make athletes and spectators feel safe and secure. "The Olympic Games will be carried out in a non-reduced form and hope to impress the audience." On the 19th, Abe voiced again, hoping that the Tokyo Olympics will be realized in a complete form as a proof of humanity's victory over the new crown pneumonia epidemic.
Compared with the firm attitude of the Japanese government, all sectors of Japanese society have been arguing about the Olympic Games being held on time. According to Japanese media news, Takahashi Takahashi, a member of the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee's executive committee, said in an interview that the Tokyo Olympics will not be cancelled. The more realistic option is to postpone it for one to two years. At the same time, it is pointed out that because the schedule of each event is set after one year, it is the easiest to adjust after two years. However, the chairman of the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee Mori immediately rejected this claim, calling it "nonsense."
Japanese social media is also full of worries, and many netizens believe that according to the current situation, it is not possible to hold the Olympic Games on schedule. According to the latest Kyodo News poll results, in view of the spread of the epidemic, 69.9% of those who answered "unable" to host the Olympic Games as planned, and only 24.5% of those who answered "yes". Some people have said that if the event is held forcibly, it would be better to postpone it until the end of the epidemic.
If the Olympics cannot be held as planned, how much will the losses be? An economic account brought by the inability to host the Olympic Games on time has also become the focus of outside attention.
"The International Olympic Committee does not currently have any cash flow problems, and as far as I know, the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee does not have similar problems." When asked whether the International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo government could afford economic losses At that time, Bach answered very directly.
It is widely believed that economic losses will undoubtedly be the first to bear on host Japan. The 1964 Tokyo Olympics was the first time the Olympic Games came to Asia. To this end, Japan has invested a lot of funds in infrastructure construction and environmental governance. The enthusiasm of the people has risen unprecedentedly, the eyes of the world have gathered, and Japan ’s national self-confidence has greatly improved. It can be said that the 1964 Tokyo Olympics were extremely important for Japan ’s economic development. For the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Japan also wants to seize the opportunity once again to show the charm of Japan to the world, while driving economic growth.
According to the budget announced by the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games is expected to cost 1.35 trillion yen (about 12.4 billion U.S. dollars). In addition, the Olympics brought a large number of tourists to Japan. At the beginning of last year, during the Olympic Games, many hotels around Tokyo and other large cities had rooms that were hard to find, and prices rose 3 to 5 times.
Kyodo News quoted the latest data from SMBC Nikko Securities Co., Ltd., saying that if the outbreak is not under control of the cancellation of the Tokyo Olympics, Japan ’s GDP may be reduced by 7.8 trillion yen (about 71 billion US dollars) Down 1.4 percentage points. (Finish)