Six months after the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics and Para, professional baseball moves in collaboration with the Organizing Committee September 24, 15:44
It has been half a year in 24 days since the one-year postponement of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics was decided.
Regarding measures against the new coronavirus, which continues to be infected, professional baseball, which started early in Japanese professional sports, is also moving to cooperate with the organizing committee of the Tokyo Games.
In professional baseball, which started early in domestic professional sports, the number of spectators has been increased from the first unattended to 5,000, and from 19th this month to half the capacity.
As a precedent case of taking measures to prevent infection at large-scale sporting events, there are movements to cooperate, such as providing information to the organizing committee of the Tokyo Games.
NPB = Nippon Professional Baseball regularly holds countermeasure liaison meetings inviting experts on infectious diseases in both the J.League and the J.League, while formulating guidelines for infection prevention and the measures and spectators that the baseball team that manages the game should implement at the stadium. I have shown the new way of cheering that I want from the baseball team, modifying the content as appropriate.
It's been more than two months since we started to enter the audience, and a new style of measuring the temperature at the time of admission, wearing a mask in the stadium, and clapping while sitting at your own seat has become established.
On the other hand, as the number of spectators has increased significantly since 19th of this month, the distance to the spectators sitting next to them is getting closer to within 1 meter, and the passages in the stadium and the surrounding area are crowded, so experts It has been pointed out that measures such as wearing masks should be taken more thoroughly as the risk of infection increases.
On the 15th of this month, NPB was interviewed by the Tokyo Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games on infection prevention guidelines.
We will continue to actively provide information so that we can use it as a reference for the operation of the Olympics and Paralympics as a precedent for large-scale sporting events.
Yokohama Stadium and Sapporo Dome, which will be the venues for next year's Olympics, are also the bases of professional baseball, so it will be interesting to see if we can take all possible measures to prevent infection at the stadium for next year's Olympics and Paralympics. It has been.
Yokohama Stadium, the venue for the Olympics
At Yokohama Stadium, which will be the venue for baseball and softball at the Tokyo Olympics next year, professional baseball and DeNA will limit the number of spectators in official games on the 19th of this month after the government has relaxed restrictions on holding events. The number has been increased from 5,000 to 16,000, which is nearly half of the capacity.
The DeNA vs. Giants match on the 19th actually attracted 13,106 spectators.
At DeNA, in order to thoroughly prevent infection, we increased the number of thermography at the entrance to 9 and measured the body temperature of the spectators, and people with a fever of 37 degrees 5 minutes or more are not allowed to enter.
Also, at the stadium, the guidelines for preventing infections in professional baseball prohibit cheering by making loud voices or singing, so the number of staff is increased by about 60 to about 300 people, and they do not wear masks or make loud voices. I'm hitting the patrol of the stand calling for.
However, compared to when the maximum number of spectators was 5,000, when a home run came out during the match, the stands sent a big applause to the players.
And in order to avoid crowds when leaving after the game, we are taking measures to have the spectators in the infield seats leave the stadium with a time lag in three stages according to the place to sit.
At the stadium, we announced the announcement in the stadium and projected the target seats on a large screen to encourage the spectators to leave the stadium in order.
Expert "New support manners"
In preparation for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics next year, Professor Mitsuo Kaku of Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, who specializes in infectious disease control, said, "While referring to the efforts of Japanese professional baseball and soccer J-League, new support manners It is necessary to promote publicity. "
Professor Kaku commented on the outlook for the infection of the new coronavirus around July next year, when the Tokyo Olympics will begin. "Even if the infection has subsided in Japan at that time, it will be difficult to end the entire world. Vaccines and silver bullets. Even if it is developed, it will not reach people all over the world immediately. "
In addition, since many athletes and tournament officials will visit from overseas during the tournament, it is necessary to establish a system to confirm that there is no infection by conducting a thorough inspection when accepting. It is necessary to devise ways to avoid overlapping with the general public, such as avoiding public vehicles. "
In addition, Professor Kaku said that the efforts in professional baseball and J.League would be helpful when including spectators, saying, "It is necessary for spectators to wear masks and inform them of new cheering manners to cheer without making a loud voice. The challenge for the future is how to inform the audience from all over the world of the new cheering manners. "
Professor Kaku said, "Even at the Tokyo Games, it is important to thoroughly implement basic measures such as wearing masks and disinfecting hands, as well as ventilating and not creating a three-dense environment. Professional baseball and J. Accumulating the fact that the infection will not spread at big events that have already resumed, such as leagues, may be one simulation for the Tokyo Olympics. "