IOC right not to pull plug yet
It’s too soon to cancel, postpone Tokyo Games
There is still no need to add the Tokyo Olympics to the growing list of sports and events that have been canceled or postponed.
As much of the sports world goes dark in an effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus, the International Olympic Committee looks to be the outlier. It has insisted for weeks, and continues to do so, that it plans to go ahead with the Olympics and Paralympics as scheduled.
“The International Olympic Committee confirms its full commitment to the success of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020,” IOC president Thomas Bach said Thursday at a ceremony for the lighting of the Olympic torch. “We remain absolutely in line with our Japanese hosts in our commitment to delivering safe Olympic Games in July this year.” As they should. For now.
Some have criticized the IOC for not canceling or postponing the Games already, saying it's delusional or craven and suggesting that money, rather than health and safety, is driving its decisions. There's no doubt money is a consideration, given the billions Tokyo organizers have already shelled out and the massive TV contracts the IOC has with NBC and other broadcasters.
But as Bach pointed out Thursday, there are still 19 weeks until the Tokyo Olympics, which begin July 24. At a time when the world is shifting on a dime, that might as well be an eternity.
Yes, much of Europe and North America is shutting down as we speak as cases of COVID-19 spike. Businesses and schools are closing, and people are being asked to stay close to home. Flights are being canceled and non-essential travel is discouraged.
But that's now. There's no telling what conditions will be like in July. Or even late May, which is when the IOC would have to make the call if the Olympics do need to be canceled or moved. The pandemic could still be raging and health care systems could have collapsed from the weight of all the cases. Or life could have returned to normal, or be in the process of it.
In China, where COVID-19 originated late last year, the number of new cases is dropping, schools have re-opened and makeshift hospitals have closed. In the surest sign that the worst has passed, Apple has reopened all of its retail stores there.
The point is, we just don't know and cannot predict. And we won't be able to for several more weeks. What seems obvious and certain now will change – just look at the last few days. The idea of canceling the men's and women's NCAA basketball tournaments was unfathomable at this time last week, yet that's exactly what happened Thursday.
Canceling or postponing the Olympics and Paralympics is a monumental decision. To do it now, when the Games are still so far out and so much remains unknown, would be premature.
Cavalier, too, given the years athletes have sweated and sacrificed in hopes of competing at an Olympics. So long as there's a chance of holding the Games, the IOC owes it to the athletes to try.
Now, that is not to say the IOC and Tokyo organizers shouldn't be more frank about the situation. So far, most of their comments have been remarkably tonedeaf. They've come off as either obstinate and arrogant or woefully naïve, insisting that the Games will go on and acting incredulous that anyone would think otherwise.
It could be that they don't want to spark panic. Or open themselves up to daily questions about whether anything has changed and, if it hasn't, when it will.
But pretending this isn't a big deal doesn't make it so. There's a way to give a thoughtful answer without raising alarm. Something like this, perhaps:
“Given the rapid spread of COVID-19, we understand the concern for how the virus might impact the Olympics and Paralympics. Our first concern is with the athletes and spectators, and we are in close consultation with the World Health Organization as well as experts in epidemiology and virology. We have confidence the pandemic will subside in time to allow us to hold the Games as scheduled but, if that changes, we will explore every possible alternative. But with the Games still several months away, we are fortunate not to have to make any drastic decisions in the immediate future.”