The great Australian journalist Murray Sayle famously said there were only two newspaper stories: “we name the guilty man” and “arrow points to defective part.” He missed a third: “Olympic host country unprepared for games to start.”
This year the unreadiness theme is public health. “Covid risks at the Tokyo Olympics aren’t being managed, experts say” Scientific American reported on July 13. Five days later, CNN reported the sequel: “Two South Africans test positive for Covid in Olympic village.” Then finally, on July 19: “A Coronavirus Cluster Overshadows the Run-up to the Games as a U.S. Gymnast Tests Positive.” No fewer than two dozen “athletes, coaches, referees and other officials” in Tokyo for the games have tested positive for Covid. Toyota, one of the principal corporate sponsors, has announced it won’t run any Olympic-themed advertisements during the games, presumably because any association with the foolish decision to damn the pandemic and go ahead with this year’s games threatens to become a serious public-relations liability.
Japan is a uniquely poor location to host the Olympics because only about 20 percent of its population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19. New cases are spreading so quickly that a state of emergency was declared for the duration of the games. Yes, you read that right—Japan declared its own Olympics to be a public-health emergency. Spectators will be barred from attending Olympic events in and around Tokyo. The games might as well take place on a sound stage in Burbank.
French-Egyptian archeology mission discovers military vessel, Greek funerary in sunken city
Let’s remember, though, that host countries are never ready to host the Olympics. Sometimes it’s because stadiums aren’t yet built. That was the news in “Host Brazil is unprepared for the 2016 Olympics.” Sometimes there’s an unavailability of hotel rooms. Hence, in 2014, “Sochi: Worst Olympics Travel Destination Ever?” Or maybe all other activities in the host city risk coming to a halt. Hence, in 2012, “Third of UK businesses unprepared for Olympics”.
Read more: Washington Monthly
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