An Olympics without fans is the right call

The famous Olympic motto, translated from Latin, is “Faster, Higher, Stronger.” For the Tokyo Games, set to kick off at the July 23 Opening Ceremonies, we need to add a fourth exhortation: quieter.

Much quieter. In fact, organizers announced Thursday that all spectators will be barred from events held in and around the Japanese capital. That decision followed Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s announcement putting Tokyo under a state of emergency because of rising Covid-19 infections driven by the dangerous delta variant. It’s the right call, but it’s still a stark reminder of all we’ve lost and have yet to lose in this ongoing pandemic.

Think of the mighty roars that have always accompanied iconic Olympic moments.

A wave of sound followed Usain Bolt down the track as he separated himself from the field and set a world record in the 100-meter dash in Beijing in 2008. If anything, the crowds were even louder when he did it again in London four years later.

Though spectators are traditionally relatively quiet during gymnastics routines to avoid distracting the competitors, it was thrilling to hear fans explode with joy and relief as Simone Biles nailed the elements that brought her four gold medals in Rio de Janeiro and established her as perhaps the greatest gymnast of all time.

Michael Phelps may not have been able to hear the spectators cheering him on as he knifed through the water on his way to winning an incredible 28 medals in cities around the world, but the rest of us could.

Imagine those moments taking place in silence.

The elite Olympic athletes have already endured a punishing ordeal. When the Covid-19 pandemic postponed the 2020 Games, they had to repeat grueling and precisely-timed training cycles, taking into account new injuries, new competitors and other life events.

Those who do make it to Tokyo will compete without the psychological lift from the stands. Will that make a difference in the results? Some athletes demonstrably play to — and draw energy from — the crowds. Others are more inner-directed and seem to be able to tune everything out.

Those of us who watch the Olympics from afar will lose something important as well. The Olympic Games are one of two quadrennial sporting megaevents — soccer’s World Cup tournament is the other — that turn clichés like the “thrill of victory” and “the agony of defeat” into real celebrations of our common humanity. We can all share in the heroic triumph of some obscure competitor from a faraway place we’ve barely even heard of. We can all feel the pain when some plucky underdog falls just short.

Even the Olympic Opening Ceremonies in all their kitsch are inspiring because of one perennial rite: The parade of athletes into the stadium. I love the fact that every nation has its moment in the spotlight, not just the behemoths like the United States and China, with hundreds of athletes clad in designer leisure wear. Small countries like Bhutan or Kiribati or Comoros, who may not have sent enough competitors to fill a minivan, get to parade nonetheless, waving their national flags, and to be welcomed and embraced by the lusty cheers of a standing-room-only crowd.

Japan’s slowness to vaccinate its people against Covid-19 is the cause of this sudden silence. Only about 15% of the Japanese population is fully vaccinated, and that is following a crash all-out effort to get shots into arms in recent weeks. The nation did well in keeping coronavirus numbers down with mask-wearing and other prophylactic measures

— Japan has seen only around 800,000 cases and fewer than 15,000 deaths. But the low vaccination rate leaves the country especially vulnerable to the more-transmissible delta variant.

The Japanese public is aware of the risks: Last month, a Fuji Television poll showed that 30.5 percent of respondents believed the Games should be scrapped, while another 35.3 percent said the competition should be held, but without spectators.

It will be weird.

The National Basketball Association and other

sports leagues around the world proved that it is indeed possible to have reasonably satisfying competition without fans in the

stands. Television ratings for many sporting events have been down, however, probably because something is clearly missing. Look at this year’s exciting NBA playoffs, with full arenas full of screaming fans, versus last year’s spectatorless playoffs. There’s no comparison.

I’m going to watch the Olympics anyway. I hope we see thrilling photo-finishes

and world records smashed. I’m ready to clap when the little team from Kiribati walks into the stadium waving their flags.

All the while, though, I’ll be reminded — by thousands upon thousands of empty seats — that the Covid-19 crisis is not done. Not by a long shot.