The problem for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is that their charade may all fall apart if athletes continue to test positive and have to quarantine from the rest of their teammates.
How will it look if Simone Biles also tests positive and can’t compete in the games? One of her teammates, an alternate, has already tested positive. What if more elite athletes in the various sports test positive — then what?
At what point would IOC consider pulling the plug on the games altogether? It is the Rubicon moment they should have already established — but likely they have not done so.
It is possible that the 2020 (yes, they call it the 2020 Games) might be the exclamation point on the pandemic of all the mistakes that have been made worldwide in responding to and trying to resume activities too soon. The history on this Olympics still needs to be written!
Eric Holdeman is a nationally known emergency manager. He has worked in emergency management at the federal, state and local government levels. Today he serves as the Director, Center for Regional Disaster Resilience (CRDR), which is part of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER). The focus for his work there is engaging the public and private sectors to work collaboratively on issues of common interest, regionally and cross jurisdictionally.
