» What’s next for Tokyo Olympics as virus spreads?
A healthy mouth can destroy bacteria before entering body.
The spreading virus from China has been reported in more than 60 countries and puts the Tokyo Olympics at risk. The Olympics are to open on July 24 less than five months away. The Paralympics follow on Aug. 25.
IOC President Thomas Bach, in an interview last week limited to Japanese media, said the “IOC is fully committed to have the opening ceremony there on July 24th in Tokyo.” He declined to speculate about a postponement, cancellation, or any combination of those possibilities.
Bach told the Japanese: “I’m not ready to add fuel to the flames of speculation there in any way.” Others are.
An Irish bookmaker last week began taking bets: 4/6 the opening ceremony will not go ahead in Tokyo as scheduled, or 11/10 that it will.
Senior IOC member Dick Pound last week suggested Tokyo and the IOC had roughly until the end of May to announce a decision. Pound, a former International Olympic Committee vice president, said there’s no decision so far and stressed talks were nearly constant with the World Health Organization.
He has characterized the virus as the “elephant” in the room, likening the fight against it to “the new war.”
“You just don’t postpone something on the size and scale of the Olympics,” Pound told the Associated Press. “There are so many moving parts; so many countries, so many different seasons and competitive seasons, television seasons. You can’t say: ‘We’ll do it in October.’ It’s a big, big, big decision and you just can’t take it until you have all the reliable facts on which to base it.”
The virus has caused more than 3,000 deaths, the vast majority in China. Japan has reported 12 deaths with almost 1,000 cases.
Q: Whats the next thing to watch?
A: Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto is holding a teleconference on Wednesday with the IOC executive board in Switzerland. The 14-member board along with Bach made the big decisions.
There could be changes to the torch relay, which is set to open March 26 in Fukushima prefecture, northeast of Tokyo. The event is heavily sponsored by Coca-Cola and Toyota. It might face crowd limits the way Sunday’s Tokyo Marathon did. Preseason baseball games are being played in empty stadiums, soccer’s J-League has suspended play, and a large Sumo event will be held without fans. Training for Tokyo’s 80,000 unpaid volunteers has been postponed until at least May.
A month ago, Muto said he was “seriously worried” by the spread of the virus. He has become more cautious with his words since then.
Q: What’s up with the test events?
A: There are 18 remaining test events. Many are small and involve only Japanese athletes, a chance for organizers to test venues and logistics. Two in the next several weeks are planned to have non-Japanese attending: Paralympic wheelchair rugby on March 12-15, and a gymnastics meet on April 4-6. They’ll be watched to see if non-Japanese athletes compete.
Crowd restrictions could be put in place, although many don’t call for fans in the first place.
Q: What about Olympic qualifying events?
Officials announced on
Monday that an Olympic baseball qualifying event was postponed from April to June. It will be held in Taiwan as scheduled, but on June 17-21 instead of April 1-5. The World Baseball Softball Conference said it was because of “player, personnel and spectator health and safety measures against the spread of the coronavirus.”
Olympic qualifiers have been moved from China. Bach said that many Chinese teams and athletes are out of China and training elsewhere: the table tennis team is in Qatar, the women’s basketball team is in Croatia, and wrestlers are in Serbia.
“We have managed to move qualification competitions and tournaments within weeks from China to other countries where the safety of the athletes could be ensured,” Bach said.
Q: IOC member Pound mentioned late May as a deadline. Is that firm?
A: Pound is a senior IOC member. But he was speaking as a rank-and-file member when he speculated that late May was a deadline to decide on Tokyo’s future. The call will be made by the IOC executive board, the WHO, and local organizers. It seems reasonable that a decision will have to be made with two months to go.
The Olympics have thousands of moving parts. Sponsors who have paid billions must activate ad programs. More than 11,000 Olympic athletes and 4,400 for the Paralympics have to know their training schedules. Add to that: flights, hotel reservations, catering, ticketing, and broadcast schedules. Almost 75% of the IOC’s income of $5.7 billion in a four-year cycle is from broadcast rights.
Tokyo is officially spending $12.6 billion to organize the Olympics, although a national audit board says it’s twice that much.
Pound said all of the alternatives had major drawbacks: pushing the start back a few months, postponing until 2021, moving events to scattered venues or another city, or an outright cancellation. The modern Olympics dating from 1896 have been canceled three times during the two World Wars, and faced boycotts in 1976, 1980 and 1984.
Q: What is the mood in Japan?
A: It’s uncertain and stressful, prompting some fear and hoarding in shops. On the other hand, daily life seems about normal, perhaps with fewer commuters on Tokyo’s trains and more people wearing masks.
The government has asked all schools to close for more than a month. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been criticized for getting started late fighting the virus. He announced a 270 billion yen ($2.5 billion) emergency economic aid package on Saturday. He said the country was at a critical juncture to determine whether it can keep the outbreak under control ahead of the Olympics.
“Frankly speaking, this battle cannot be won solely by the efforts of the government,” Abe said. “We cannot do it without understanding and cooperation from every one of you, including medical institutions, families, companies and local governments.”
Folklore tells us that the eyes are the window into a person’s soul, but scientific fact proves that the mouth is the gateway into a person’s overall health.
The mouth is filled with countless bacteria, according to the American Dental Association (ADA). A person’s diligence in keeping the mouth clean and cared for plays a significant role in maintaining strong health throughout the rest of the body.
“Strong oral health helps the body fight bacteria and infection at the frontline,” said Zachary Townsend, DO, with Beavercreek Family Medicine. “Important areas of the mouth including tonsils and lymphoid tissue help to recognize and fight infection. Any compromise to this defense can leave a person susceptible to disease.”
Oral health has been linked to respiratory conditions, cardiovascular issues, and chronic conditions such as diabetes, said Dr. Townsend, who practices with Premier Physician Network. Likewise, the ADA reports that gum disease – also known as periodontitis – may place pregnant women at an increased risk of delivering preterm with low-birth rate infants.
Another aspect that isn’t thought of as much is the impact that improper oral hygiene can play in a person’s lifestyle.
“Simple conditions such as a toothache, cavity or injury to the mouth can affect the way a person eats, drinks or speaks,” Dr. Townsend said. “This ultimately contributes to a person’s quality of life and inhibits their ability to engage in activities at home or at work.”
Dr. Townsend said there are many things a person can do to make oral hygiene a priority:
Daily prevention – Brush teeth at least twice a day, including flossing. Choose a dentist who can provide regular cleanings and proper evaluation of your oral health.
Protect your mouth – Children and adults engaged in sports or physical activity should consider using mouth guards to protect the teeth and oral area.
Heed warning signs – Understand symptoms that signal something might be wrong. This includes any swelling, bleeding or discoloration of the tongue, gums or mouth. These could be signs of gingivitis. Any discoloration, pain, or difficulty eating, speaking or swallowing could be signs of a cavity or abscess.
Take injury seriously – Any injury or trauma that happens to the teeth or inside of the mouth should be evaluated by a health care professional.
Beware of your medications – Certain medications such as decongestants, antihistamines, painkillers, antidepressants, and diuretics – may reduce the amount of saliva the body produces. Saliva plays an important part in helping to wash away food and bacteria.
Take small measures – Be mindful to replace your toothbrush every three months – and immediately after you have recovered from an illness. Maintain a healthy diet low in sugar to reduce your risk for developing cavities.
Most importantly, parents can play a very important role in modeling good health for the next generation. Dr. Townsend saw this firsthand when he participated in a residency program focused on oral health among mothers and children.
“Something that stood out to me was the strong connection between a mother’s oral health and that of her child,” he said. “If a mother is showing healthy behaviors – such as daily brushing and flossing – then that’s the lifestyle her children are going to adopt, too.”
For more information about oral health or to schedule an appointment with a Premier Physician Network physician near you, visit PremierHealth.com/MakeAnAppointment.
Premier Physician Network is one of the largest groups of pediatrics, family medicine, internal medicine, and urgent care practices in southwest Ohio. For more information, go online to www. premierphysiciannet.com.