The global spread of Corona 19 makes it difficult to hold the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, and it is noteworthy that for the first time, a major boycott will become a reality for fear of virus infection. The Tokyo Olympic Games will open on July 24th. Considering multiple schedules, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) must decide whether to force, cancel, or postpone the Tokyo Olympic Games as late as May 20.

IOC is an institution that exists for the Olympics. The Japanese government has a strong will to use the Tokyo Olympics as a catalyst for revival and reconstruction. Given the inclination of IOC Chairman Thomas Bach and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and astronomical losses of tens of trillion won, it is unlikely that the Tokyo Olympics will be canceled entirely.
After all, the number of cases is either forced or deferred. If the number of people infected with Corona 19 in Japan will not be able to meet the competition in May, delays will be inevitable. If it is postponed, it will be exactly one year later, in late July 2021. On the contrary, if there are few infected people in Japan in May and globally Corona 19 enters the end stage, the tournament is normally held.

At present, the opinions of sports experts at home and abroad are more likely to be more ambiguous than these two scenarios. In other words, it is expected that the number of infected people will not increase dramatically or that it will not end. For example, if the Corona 19 incident does not lead to 'pandemic' in May, but rather lulls, it is almost certain that the IOC or the Japanese government will hold the Tokyo Olympics on schedule.

In this case, participation in the Tokyo Olympics will ultimately be determined by the Olympic Committee of each country. The Olympic Committee must decide whether to continue to compete even if there is a serious concern about corona infection or to abandon it for the health and safety of athletes.

If many countries are absent from the Tokyo Olympics because of concerns about the infection of Corona19, this is the first case of a boycott caused by a virus in the history of modern Olympics. Currently, the country most concerned about Corona 19 is Australia. According to the Sydney Morning Herald on February 25, David Hughes, director of the Australian Olympic Medical Team, said, "We need to be sure it's safe to take our players to Japan." " In this regard, the UK's Daily Mail reported that "Australian athletes may not compete in the Tokyo Olympics with the deadly Corona 19 that killed thousands of lives."

In 124 years of modern Olympic history, boycotts occurred mainly for political reasons. In 1976, during the Montreal Summer Olympics in Canada, 28 African nations declared their absence after New Zealand's Olympic rugby match was held against South Africa, which had been racist.

During the next Olympic Games, the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, nearly 50 countries from the West, including the United States, Canada, West Germany and Japan, were absent to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In addition, China (then China) did not participate due to the small and medium-sized border dispute.

In the next competition, the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, the Eastern Communists, including the Soviet Union and East Germany, boycotted the Moscow Olympics in retaliation. Iran and Libya did not participate for other reasons. But Romania was the only member of the Warsaw Pact to join, and another communist China, then China, decided to play. There was no big boycott during the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, but seven countries, including North Korea and Cuba, were absent.

If many countries, including Australia, are boycotted by concerns over the infection of Corona 19, the Korean team should be in trouble. If you think of the players who have been sweating heavily for the Olympics, you must play, but you are concerned about their health.

Korean athletes lose too much if they miss the Tokyo Olympics. Because you have to give up military benefits, sports pensions, and various rewards. After all, the only way to solve the worries of Korean players, the IOC, and the Japanese government at once is that Corona19 disappears like a lie until May.

(Photo = Getty Images Korea)