The Tokyo Olympics, which has been postponed for one year due to the effects of the new coronavirus, will start on the 23rd.
The sports festival, which is held in extremely unusual situations such as when an emergency declaration is issued in Tokyo and most of the venues are held without spectators, spreads the infection to athletes and related parties by thoroughly managing the tournament safely. It is being asked whether the tournament can be held down and resonated with many people.
The Tokyo Olympics, which will be held for the first time in 57 years, will begin with the opening ceremony held at the National Stadium on the night of the 23rd, after the first postponement of one year in history due to the influence of the new coronavirus.
The tournament will be held for 17 days until the 8th of next month, with 33 competitions, the largest number in history, and more than 11,000 people from about 200 countries and regions.
The number of Japanese national team players is 583, the highest number in history.
Due to the re-expansion of the new coronavirus infection, a state of emergency has been declared in Tokyo, so most of the venues, including the opening ceremony, will be held without spectators.
In addition, the world's largest sports festival is being scrutinized by the people, as athletes and tournament officials are infected one after another.
Furthermore, regarding the opening ceremony, one of the composers, Keigo Oyamada, resigned from criticism over the confession of bullying when he was a student, and Kentaro Kobayashi, who is the show director, also resigned in the past.・ It is an unusual situation, such as being dismissed the day before the opening for using the lines that bullied the genocide of Jews by Germany.
"I understand that there are many people who have mixed feelings, but I want to make it a stage where I can re-recognize the power of sports in the face of difficulties in the world," said Hashimoto, chairman of the Organizing Committee. It is being questioned whether the Tokyo Organizing Committee, which is a terrible event, can be a tournament that can be sympathized by many people by suppressing the spread of infection to athletes and related parties by thoroughly managing the tournament safely.
Who is the final runner of the torch relay?
The opening ceremony will be held from 8 pm at the national stadium of the main stadium without spectators, and the flag bearer of the Japanese team, which used to be one, will be one male and one female from this tournament from the viewpoint of gender equality. Rui Hachimura and Yui Susaki, a wrestling girl, will serve as the players.
The concept of the opening ceremony is "United by Emotion".
Even though people all over the world are living under the threat of the new corona and welcoming them in an environment different from the previous competitions, sports have the power to connect people with excitement and help each other to live by making use of various differences. The idea that you can do it is included.
In addition, the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games is decided by the IOC = International Olympic Committee.
The main elements are admission of the head of state, march of athletes, ceremonies by the president of the Games Organizing Committee and the president of the IOC, opening declaration by the head of state, oath of athletes, and in recent years it is simulated without using the real thing. The release of pigeons and the lighting of the torch.
The Olympic Charter stipulates that all ceremonial programs, including the opening ceremony, must be submitted to the IOC for prior approval.
At the opening ceremony, it will be interesting to see who will be the final runner of the torch relay and how the torch stand will be lit.
Resignation and dismissal of people involved in the ceremony
The production system for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics started three years ago with a team of eight people headed by Kyogen master Mansai Nomura.
However, it was decided that the tournament would be postponed for one year, and it was necessary to efficiently review it aiming for a simple ceremony under the corona wreck, and at the end of last year, Sasaki, the creative director representing the Japanese commercial industry, said. It has become a new system with Mr. Hiroshi as the general manager.
After that, it became clear that Mr. Sasaki had proposed a production plan that would insult the appearance of the female talent, and he resigned in March.
The preparation for the ceremony will proceed without the general manager.
According to the announcement of the Games Organizing Committee on the 14th of this month, the ceremony will be supervised by Takayuki Hioki, Executive Producer of the Games Organizing Committee, Kentaro Kobayashi will be the show director of the opening and closing ceremony, and Shintaro Hirahara will be the choreographer. I am.
In addition, music producer Tomoyuki Tanaka is the music director, art director Yohei Taneda is in charge of the stage art, musician Keigo Oyamada is in charge of composing the opening ceremony, and designer Oki Sato is in charge of the design of the holy fire stand. Was there.
However, the production team of the ceremony was resigned and dismissed one after another even after less than a week before the opening.
On the 19th of this month, the composer of the opening ceremony, Mr. Oyamada, resigned over the confession of bullying when he was a student, and on the 22nd, when Mr. Kobayashi, who was the show director of the ceremony, was active as a comedian. He was dismissed for using lines to bully the Jewish genocide by Nazi Germany.
The opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics was an unusual event in which the people involved in the ceremony continued to resign until the day before.
Can the Tokyo medical care provision system be maintained?
In the host city of Tokyo, the rapid spread of infection is not stopped and the number of inpatients is increasing, and the issue is whether the medical care provision system can be maintained while the infections of the people involved in the competition continue.
In the past year when the tournament was postponed, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has repeatedly taken strong measures such as shortening the working hours and requesting leave to control the infection.
However, the number of confirmed infections started to increase again from the middle of last month, approaching 2,000 people on the 22nd, and we are facing a situation where the rapid spread of infection cannot be stopped before the opening.
While some executives in the city have a harsh perception that it is the worst situation, some say, "There are concerns about the spread of the infection, but it will be exciting once the tournament begins."
The number of patients hospitalized in Tokyo exceeded 2,500 on the 22nd, doubling in the past month, and the number of people receiving medical treatment at home is increasing rapidly, and there is concern about the strain on medical care during the Olympic Games. ..
Medical institutions also need to deal with heat stroke patients who have symptoms similar to those of the new corona, and the issue is whether or not the medical care provision system can be maintained amid a series of infections among the people involved in the competition.
Expanded traffic regulation range in Tokyo
In line with the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics, the scope of traffic restrictions will be expanded around the venue from the afternoon of the 23rd to the early morning of the 24th in order to facilitate the movement of people involved in the Games in Tokyo. The National Police Agency and others are calling on general drivers and businesses to refrain from using cars.
In Tokyo and its surroundings, where competition venues are concentrated, large-scale traffic regulations including additional tolls on the Metropolitan Expressway have been enforced since 19th of this month.
At the opening ceremony on the night of the 23rd, it is necessary for dignitaries and tournament officials from each country to move smoothly, so the scope of traffic regulation will be expanded around the national stadium in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, which will be the venue. is.
Of these, the Metropolitan Expressway is the ▽ Central Circular Route, ▽ 2 Meguro Line, ▽ 3 Shibuya Line, ▽ 4 Shinjuku Line, ▽ 10 Harumi Line, ▽ 11 Daiba Line, from 5:30 pm on the 23rd. A total of 17 entrances will be closed by 1:30 am on the 24th, and traffic to the city center will be restricted.
Also, on general roads, from 4 pm on the 23rd to 1:30 am on the 24th at Aoyama Dori and Gaien Higashi Dori around the National Stadium, on the 23rd at the Ring Route 2 around the Olympic Village in Harumi, Chuo-ku. The roads will be closed from 4 pm to 9:30 pm.
Due to this large-scale traffic regulation, traffic congestion is occurring on general roads in Tokyo, and the National Police Agency and others are calling on general drivers and businesses to refrain from using cars.