China News Service, Beijing, March 26th: After the extension of the Tokyo Olympics, how to "puzzle"?
China News Agency reporter Xing Ye
IOC President Bach said on a conference call facing the global media on the 25th that postponing the follow-up to the Olympic Games is a huge puzzle. "Each piece must be placed correctly. Even if one piece is missing, the whole puzzle is ruined."
Faced with the unprecedented extension of the Olympic Games, how should the global sports community "puzzle"?
On March 25, in Chuo-ku, Tokyo, an electronic screen in an office building that originally displayed the countdown to the Tokyo Olympics was posted “under adjustment”, and the original scheduled dates for the Olympic Games below were also blocked.
"Crowding out" time in a crowded calendar
Due to issues such as city preparation and athlete preparation, the global sports calendar is often determined very early. In 2021, almost all of the 33 Tokyo Olympic events will have important events, including track and field and swimming world championships. In addition, the NBA regular season and playoffs are often played in the first half of the year.
In China, there are also the Football World Cup, the World University Games and the National Games.
In addition, a number of events have been postponed until 2021. For example, the indoor track and field world championships originally held in Nanjing, China, in March this year have been postponed to the same period in 2021, and the European Championships and the America's Cup, which have attracted attention from football fans, have been postponed to 2021. Held from June 11 to July 11.
The 2021 global calendar, which has already been "filled up", and the individual events that have been determined to join, are even more "crowded". To "squeeze" the Olympic time, some events have to make sacrifices. At present, the track and field and swimming world championships have been postponed, and I am afraid that domestic competitions in various countries will have to make adjustments.
Bach said on the 25th that although the parties have reached an agreement to host the Olympic Games no later than 2021, the holding of the Tokyo Olympics is not limited to the summer. "To be held in a time and environment that is safe for all participants."
The picture shows the Olympic countdown electronic clock located in front of Tokyo Station in Japan on March 25. The countdown electronic clock no longer displays the countdown number and is replaced by the date and real time of the day.
Olympic qualifying is questionable
In an Olympic cycle, there is a complete competition system from the qualifying, losing, to official competitions. Under the epidemic, all events will be unable to escape the fate of "stop."
Take basketball as an example. In addition to the women's basketball qualifying game which ended in February this year, at least 6 groups of Olympic qualifying games have not been played, including 2 groups of 3 to 3 qualifying games and 4 groups of men's basketball losing games. In addition, the Chinese women's football team and the South Korean team's play-off dates have changed over and over again. The tournament currently scheduled to be held in early June still has variables.
The Tokyo Olympic Games plans to issue about 11,000 Olympic seats, and more than 40% are still pending. After a one-year extension, how should the qualifications for the Tokyo Olympics be defined?
Some people from the Tokyo Organizing Committee have suggested that the previous Olympic qualifiers should be abolished and should be resumed. This statement has been questioned because the requalification will inevitably occupy the global calendar, and it is "disrespect" to qualified athletes.
Another question worth pondering is whether athletes who were originally suspended during the Tokyo Olympics should expire after the Olympic Games are delayed. Should they also qualify? After determining the exact time for the extension, such details also need to be answered seriously.
Run the service "come back"
Once the specific time and eligibility for the competition are determined, the normal performance of the Games will be guaranteed. But as the world's highest-level comprehensive sports meeting, the Olympic Games are by no means so simple. The postponed Olympic Games guarantee operation almost "revisited."
About 4.5 million tickets are currently sold in Japan, and it is estimated that a total of 7.8 million tickets will be sold. The Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee has stated that the epidemic is an "urgent emergency involving public health" and is a "force majeure factor" clearly specified in the Olympic Organizing Committee's charter, so the organizer does not need to bear relevant responsibilities.
This means that tickets sold will not be refunded. However, even in the same game, after the date is changed, the audience may still be unable to attend for various reasons. The Tokyo Organizing Committee for the Olympics stated that there is no conclusion on how to deal with purchased tickets, and full consideration will be given to try to guarantee the interests of those who have already purchased tickets.
Almost all the hotels during the Olympic Games were booked, and they faced the same problem after the extension. Taking media hotels as an example, hotel reservations have been made since April last year, and April this year is the payment settlement period, but has the hotel price changed? Do I need to rebook and pay? The organizing committee has not given a response.
In addition, due to the delay, a large number of safeguard agreements will be re-signed. For example, the Tokyo Olympic Village was originally planned to be converted into an apartment after the meeting. It was sold out early. The delay of the Olympic Games meant that the delivery of the house was delayed, which brought uncertainty to the contract that was signed. As another example, a significant portion of the volunteers recruited worldwide are students. Once the extension is not completed during the holidays, student volunteer groups will be lost, and all volunteer agreements will be re-signed.
The extension of the first Olympic Games in history left too many questions to be answered, how to "puzzle" and test the wisdom and unity of the global sports community. However, Bach is still confident: "Although this is the first time in history that the Olympic Games have been postponed, I believe that a perfect puzzle can be completed." (End)