Tokyo Olympics twitter account blocks coronavirus
TOKYO: The official Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics Games Twitter account offers no inkling that the novel coronavirus pandemic has threatened the Games — and the account’s cheery tone is prompting sarcastic online replies. Japanese officials insist the Olympics will go on as planned, and the Tokyo 2020 tweets reflect this.
Italy is under a total lockdown amid more than 12,000 infections, but a post showcases the Games’ official mascots, Miraitowa and Someity, conducting a jaunty video tour of Europe. The day Japan ordered schools closed for weeks, the account tweeted rhapsodic praises of spring flowers. Early in March, as the mascots danced in Barcelona, “Natsuotaku” wrote: “Are they going from country to country announcing a postponement?”
Andrew Zimbalist, an economist at Smith College specialising in sports economics, said the planning committee’s Twitter game fell short for two big reasons. “First, the IOC and the Tokyo organising committee are in denial. They have never had to cancel an Olympics for anything but a world war,” he said. “Second, they want to control the spin. By pretending that there will be business as usual, they are hoping to keep Olympians in training and Olympic fans in preparation for travelling to Tokyo. If by some good fortune the Olympics are held, they want to make sure the athletes are present and prepared.”
‘FULL MEASURES’
TOKYO: Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike vowed to take thorough measures against the coronavirus outbreak for the Olympic Torch relay through Japan and reaffirmed that preparations for a “safe and secure” 2020 Games were progressing, TV Asahi reported.