The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun
Olympic organizers weighing options for virus measures
With less than one year until the postponed Tokyo Olympics kick off, preventing the novel coronavirus from infecting spectators and about 15,000 athletes is an issue looming large over the organizing committee.
On March 5, the Japanese government decided it would require all people arriving from China and South Korea to stay in quarantine for 14 days. This was in response to the spread of the virus in those countries. But on that very day, a letter was sent to the Games’ organizing committee and the Foreign Ministry requesting that special entry permission be granted to athletes arriving from China and South Korea who were set to compete in the Artistic Gymnastics All-Around World Cup, a sports event that was to be held in Tokyo in April.
The letter was sent by Morinari Watanabe, president of the International Gymnastics Federation and a member of the International Olympic Committee. The tournament doubled as a qualifier for the Olympics, so Watanabe was extremely concerned that the world would get the impression that the 2020 Games would not go ahead unless the athletes were “somehow allowed to enter Japan.”
The government started detailed discussions on steps that could be taken, such as having the athletes take polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests in their own country and departing only after the tests were confirmed negative, and separating athletes from other airplane passengers, as well as retesting after entry into Japan. However, the virus continued to spread in Japan and overseas, resulting in the gymnastics tournament being canceled and the Games being pushed back a year.
Four months after Watanabe’s letter was sent, non-Japanese arriving from 146 nations and territories around the world were denied entry to Japan. Given the possibility that such restrictions could remain in place through next summer, the government, under the guidance of the National Security Secretariat, has resumed considering granting non-Japanese athletes special permission to enter Japan.
A forerunner to this is the government’s plan to soon ease entry restrictions to businesspeople from Vietnam and other countries. A favored proposal would see these businesspeople being picked up from airports and taken by cars to their workplaces, refraining from going out to busy shopping and entertainment districts, and undergoing regular health checks.
Issues that remain after the athletes arrive include how transportation is organized between the many locations and venues and the establishment of what activities are permissible in training camps. How to deal with these issues will be decided using lessons learned from allowing some businesspeople to enter the country.
“We will invite athletes from overseas to some test tournaments early next year,” a senior organizing committee official said. “We need the world to witness our steps for letting people into Japan, made with the Olympics in mind, and make the athletes feel reassured about coming here.”
Arguably, even more difficult than protecting the athletes will be preventing coronavirus infections from spreading among the thousands of attendees.
About 5.44 million tickets have already been sold for the Tokyo Games. If the Olympics were held with no spectators, the organizing committee would lose about ¥90 billion in revenue. Reducing spectator numbers would require some ticket holders to give up on going to events.
Having spectators undergo PCR tests or antigen tests before entering a sports venue also will be discussed. However, there is still no established method for quickly testing such a vast number of people in a short time, and it remains unclear when and how these tests would be conducted.
The organizing committee is closely watching the steps taken by the J.League and Japanese professional baseball leagues, which started allowing fans back into stadiums to attend games in July. Entry and departure times from the stadiums are being staggered to avoid crowding, and a prohibition on cheering loudly and high-fives has been instituted. “They are very helpful references,” said Toshiro Muto, chief executive officer of the organizing committee. “This offers up some options to consider for the Games.”
At least 10,000 doctors, nurses and other personnel are scheduled to be stationed at competition venues and the athletes’ village to help people suffering from heatstroke and, should they occur, to respond to terrorist attacks. Medical facilities are already being stretched by the coronavirus, so it is uncertain whether enough personnel can be deployed to venues as planned.
Tokyo Medical Association Director Satoru Arai pointed out the intense summer heat could complicate efforts to combat the coronavirus.
“Wearing a mask in summer will increase the risk of heatstroke, Arai said. "It will be difficult to ensure there are enough doctors on hand, as well as preventing infections from spreading while implementing steps to protect people from the heat.”