China ‘supports’ Tokyo Games so ’22 stays on track

“If the Tokyo Olympics cannot be held, we must expect our Olympics to be canceled as well,” said a source with ties to the government of China.

Relevant sectors of the Chinese government, such as the health and sports authorities, are assessing the possibility of the Tokyo Summer Games and the Beijing Winter Games — scheduled to start in February 2022 — being held, according to sources.

If the Tokyo Games are canceled due to the novel coronavirus, doubts will be raised about holding the Beijing Games as well. It could also lead to boycotts by the United States, Japan and other countries critical of China over its human right issues in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

According to the sources, the results of the assessments shared internally are extremely pessimistic.

Global headwinds against the Tokyo Games are also increasing. Recently, internationally influential media outlets including two major U.S. newspapers, The Washington Post and The New York Times, as well as the BBC, expressed skepticism over holding the Games.

China, however, has not wavered in its “support” for the Tokyo Games, despite being increasingly critical of Japan over the release into the sea of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. This is likely a political move to prevent the two Games from collapsing together. Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed his support for the Tokyo Games in a phone conversation with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach on May 7. It was the fourth time Xi has publicly stated his support since December 2019.

From the athletes’ perspective, there are other reasons to not participate.

Win Htet Oo, a swimmer from Myanmar where the military’s suppression of civilians continues, has announced he will not participate in the Tokyo Olympics.

“I shall not march in the parade of nations under a flag steeped in my people’s blood,” he said in a statement he posted on Facebook on April 10.

In an online interview in mid-May with The Yomiuri Shimbun, the 26-year-old swimmer said: “The day will come when the Olympic Movement

can enrich the lives of Myanmar’s people. It will not be under this regime.”

He also criticized the IOC for continuing to work with the Myanmar Olympic Committee, which is under the control of the Myanmar military, saying the IOC “has fallen short of the principles and values of the Olympic Charter, which wish for peace.”

In April, the IOC’s Athletes’ Commission published a statement, recommending to “Preserve the podium, FoP [field of play] and official ceremonies from any kind of protests and demonstrations, or any acts perceived as such.”

According to the commission, it surveyed over 3,500 athletes from 185 countries and regions, and about 70% said demonstrations were not appropriate.

While the Tokyo Games will be an opportunity to reaffirm the IOC’s commitment to “political neutrality,” an IOC official said criticism is getting stronger than ever, indicating that the Games this time are being held amid exceptional circumstances.

Various political considerations may continue to play a role. In the two months leading up to the scheduled opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics, navigating through these rough waters will be the key to making the event a success. (May 27)