Could Tokyo Olympics be held like this ?
The Shikoku Gymnastics Invitational ended on the 8th at Yoyogi Stadium in Tokyo. This is the first international competition held in Tokyo Olympic venues since the outbreak of Coronavirus pandemic. Although only 30 players from China, Russia, the United States and Japan participated in the competition, Japan believes that it has set a benchmark for hosting the Olympic Games under the pandemic situation.
The International Gymnastics Federation and the organizing committee have adopted very strict measures in terms of pandemic prevention. In addition to the usual requirements of maintaining social distancing, wearing masks and finger disinfection, they also include the following aspects: First, participants can only be in hotels and venues.
During the activity, the special car is used, and there is basically no contact with the outside world. Even when dining in the hotel, the teams do not have any contact; secondly, the participants are tested for nucleic acid every morning, and if a positive case is found, their qualifications will be immediately suspended; 3. Before entering the stadium, all personnel must test their body temperature, disinfect their hands and spray disinfectant spray throughout their bodies; fourth, limit the number of spectators. In a stadium that can accommodate more than 13,000 people, the organizing committee only opens 2,000 people to the stadium.
The scene on the field is also different from the game before the pandemic. Except for the athletes, the staff and coaches all put on masks and touched their elbows instead of shaking hands. Even the signature pens shared by the previous coaches were brought by each team. The pandemic prevention measures can be said to be done in every detail.
In fact, the above-mentioned measures are also plans that Japan plans to adopt at the Olympic Games next year. According to the plan of the Tokyo Olympic pandemic Prevention Committee, all specific measures will be introduced at the end of the year. The Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee will definitely use this game as a preview before the measures are introduced. The President of the International Olympic Committee Bach also had high hopes for this competition.
He sent a video speech at the opening, saying that “the holding of this competition proves that the Olympic Games can be held under the pandemic situation.” Obviously, all parties hope that this competition can become a concrete and subtle template for the Olympic Games next year.
However, a competition of 30 athletes cannot be compared with the Olympic Games. There are more than 10,000 athletes participating in the Olympic Games, plus referees, officials, reporters, sponsors, and volunteers. Even if there are no spectators, it is still about 50,000 people. The same pandemic prevention measures are adopted for such a huge crowd. Having sufficient funds and sufficient equipment will also be a huge challenge.
The Olympic Games adopts the above model, and another premise is that all delegations and personnel must actively cooperate in the implementation of pandemic prevention measures. The Tokyo Olympics pandemic Prevention Committee has stated that delegations need to take over the supervision of their athletes, and even stated that they will fine those who violate the regulations.
If the global pandemic remains at its current state and a large number of delegations will gather in Tokyo next year to participate in the Olympics, the risks and challenges will remain severe. Because of this, the reference value of this four-nation gymnastics competition cannot be overestimated. In order to ensure the holding of the Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee and Japan still need to make great efforts.
