Japan eager to host 2021 Olympic games

July 24 marked dual milestones for the Tokyo Olympic Games. It is the day on which its Opening Ceremony was to be held originally. It also marked one year before the first-ever postponed Olympic Games are rescheduled to start on July 23, 2021.

Even though the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has altered many aspects of our lives, Japan remains eager and ready to host the Olympics and to promote the messages of unity, resilience, and recovery through sport.

In reorganizing the Tokyo Olympic Games, we have to adapt to the new reality of the pandemic. Determination and flexibility are keywords. It takes determination before the Olympics to curb the spread of the virus. So far, Japan has managed to keep the infection rate low and the death rate even lower. This puts Tokyo in a good position for next year’s games. For this global event to be held, however, all countries need to control the disease.

Secondly, we must have the flexibility to work in new and innovative ways. The organizing committee has already announced principles for simplifying the games’ complex proceedings and for prioritizing health and safety. With determination and flexibility, we will organize the Olympics to be as safe as possible for the athletes, spectators, staff, volunteers, and people of Tokyo.

If all countries around the world can overcome the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tokyo Olympic Games will begin as scheduled one year from now. It will become a celebration of resiliency and unity through sports and a testament to the power of the human spirit to overcome challenges.

Kenji Hirata, Miami The writer is Consul General of Japan for Florida.

AP This aerial photo shows the New National Stadium in Tokyo. The postponed Tokyo Olympics have again reached the oneyear-to-go mark.