Japan Bans Olympic Spectators Due to Spike in COVID Cases

There is a disaster connection as to why Japan wants to continue with the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. See this podcast: “What the Japanese Think of the Olympics.” Early in the recording they talk about the need to show the world that they have recovered from the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.

Now they are still trying to eek out the games without killing a bunch of visitors or their own people. Thus, they have backed off on having any spectators, both internationally and from Japan.

With a cry of “the games must go on!” the International Olympic Committee is trying to get what revenue they can from this Olympics via the television rights to the games, which will be shown on NBC. With no spectators in the stands, it will really be a sanitized Olympics. Will they put in artificial cheering? How about laugh lines like they do for some situation comedies?

The last figure I saw for the cost of putting the games on by the government of Japan was $15.5 billion. It will be interesting to watch what happens in the future as to nations and cities that bid on the games. What if no one bids? Certainly there will come a point where the cost of the games becomes prohibitive except for the very few nations that want the visibility and are willing to foot the bill.

Maybe the IOC will have to come up with a “light version” of the games.