bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Jonathan White

There are 50 days until the Tokyo Olympic Games begin on July 23 – if it happens as planned, of course.
It is fair to say that there are many questions over what will happen at the Games.
In fact, there are more questions than answers on how Tokyo 2020, which has been delayed until 2021, will deal with the impact of Covid-19.
Here are 50 as we count down to the Games.


1. Will the Games go ahead?
Yes. There’s no doubt in the view of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Tokyo organisers. It’s happening. See you on July 23. The organising committee president Seiko Hashimoto said on Thursday “we cannot postpone again” as calls have grown and volunteers have quit. The games will only not go ahead in extreme circumstances.
2. Should the Olympics go ahead?
That’s the several billion-dollar question and there are many views.
Viral star Fu ‘not going to Tokyo’ after missing China qualifiers
3. Will there be any fans at the Games?
This is undecided but TV Asahi says the organisers are still considering this. A ruling is expected before the Games begin on July 23 but they have already delayed the decision .
4. What is public opinion toward the Olympics?
Not positive. The last public opinion poll had more than 80 per cent not wanting the Games to go ahead as planned.
5. What is at stake?
The SoftBank CEO said there is “a lot at stake” – and there is. The Olympics will cost billions and that money has to go somewhere. The tourism industry is already counting the cost. 


6. Is there risk of an “Olympics strain” of the virus?
Yes, according to experts. There are now fears in Japan that the Games could act as a hotbed to create a new strain.
7. Can athletes get into Japan?﻿
Jamaica and Japan were meant to meet this month in a football friendly but a Covid-19 positive in the Jamaica camp prevented them from travelling. However, the Australian softball team is already in Japan.
US athletics team cancels Olympics training in Japan over virus
8. Were there any positive Covid-19 cases at the test events?
No and foreign athletes were allowed to compete.
Do Hong Kong skateboarders support Tokyo 2020 inclusion?
9. What happens if an athlete or staff member tests positive?
The Tokyo Olympics have reserved an entire hotel for athletes with Covid-19 at some cost.
10. What does the Japanese medical sector think?
Some have asked for the Games to be axed and opposition has remained, with nurses calling on the Games to be scrapped.
11. Is there pressure to scrap the games?
Yes. An Anti-Olympic petition gained tens of thousands of signatures. The pressure has been growing within the media too.


12. Is Japan’s commitment to the Games wavering?
While the public turned on the Tokyo Games, the Japanese ﻿government and the IOC forged ahead with test events. It has been full steam ahead throughout.
13. What is the US position on the event?
Tokyo said in May that the US continues to support the Games even as Americans are advised not to visit Japan. The government claimed last month that support from the US had not changed.
14. What do the Japanese media think?
The Asahi newspaper, one of the country’s biggest, has made their case clear. Despite being a Games partner, they have called for the Games to be axed. The paper says the event can’t go on because of the strained health system and risks to public safety.
Japan plans to allow some spectators at Olympics, TV Asahi says
15. Will everyone involved be vaccinated?
No. There is no demand from the IOC that everyone be vaccinated but they hope at least three-quarters will be. Not every athlete wants to be vaccinated either.
16. Are the Japanese public vaccinated?
Some are. Most are not. As of 50 days out the number of vaccinations is around 3 per cent. However, the IOC are not insisting on vaccinations for anyone, though they have been encouraged.

17. Is Japan trying to increase the number of vaccinated?
Yes, they opened mass vaccination centres last month. That does not mean there has been an increase in those taking it up. The country’s athletes will be vaccinated.
18. What is the IOC’s position on Tokyo 2020 going ahead even if the situation gets worse in Japan?
The Games are going ahead “virus or not”, according to IOC vice-president John Coates.


19. Are there fears over a ‘superspreader’ event?
Organisers “can never completely reduce the probability of infections”, according to University of Texas researcher Spencer Fox, with the Tokyo Games to rely on “playbooks” ahead of what will be the world’s biggest Covid-19 bubble.
20. Has there been any non-Covid-19 controversy?
Ex-Tokyo Olympics chief Yoshiro Mori, 83, sparked a furore when he said during an Olympic committee meeting in February that women talk too much, setting off a chorus of calls for him to be sacked. He came under fire again for a new sexist remark, saying an employee who worked for a Japanese lawmaker was “too old to call a woman”.
In March, Tokyo Games creative chief Hiroki Sasaki resigned after he reportedly suggested that a female dress plus-size celebrity should descend from the sky in a “cute pink costume” – as an “Olympig” – at the opening ceremony.
21. Are there foreign volunteers?
Tokyo Games volunteers from abroad have been ruled out. A limited number of foreign volunteers had been expected to attend Tokyo 2020.

22. Have any other sporting bodies supported the Games?
Fifa have backed the IOC, with Gianni Infantino saying it “will give people a bit of a distraction, which is not bad in this period”.
23. What do athletes say about the pandemic rules?
Not all are happy. The biggest issue is that the IOC will not accept any responsibility for any risks .


24. Will Japan cave in to Olympics opposition?
The view is that Tokyo is adamant the Games will go on even in the face of major resistance.
25. Will there be boycotts?
South Koreans have talked about boycotting the Games over an island dispute, while a Myanmar swimmer already has pulled out.
26. What can overseas athletes expect during their Tokyo stay?﻿
The Hong Kong rowing coach has predicted it will be “miserable” in Tokyo.
27. Does Hong Kong support the Games going ahead?
Yes, they do. Hong Kong will send athletes to the Olympics as long as it goes ahead .


28. What’s behind Hong Kong’s Olympics broadcast deal?
Observers suggest that Hong Kong’s TV deal could be a bid by Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to spark patriotism.
29. Why is China backing these Tokyo Olympics?
Beijing’s support is likely related to the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, which happen just six months after Tokyo.
Tokyo Olympics delay decision on allowing local fans
30. Why does Japan want the Games to go ahead so badly?
Political and financial costs are among the reasons Japan and the IOC must hold the Olympics as planned.
31. Is Roger Federer going?
The Swiss superstar told the press that Games organisers seem determined to press ahead but it would be up to individual athletes if they want to travel.

32. Is anyone protesting the games in Tokyo?
Yes, the Japanese public. A petition gained hundreds of thousands of signatures.
33. Has training been affected?
The US team cancelled their plans to train in Japan. It has certainly been affected.
Naomi Osaka can afford French Open fine more than Tokyo 2020 distraction
34. Will Japanese athletes withdraw from the Games?
There has been pressure for them to quit the event as Japan‘s Covid-19 cases surge.
35. Who will be the face of the Games?
Naomi Osaka should be the face of the Tokyo 2020 Games as a genuine medal hope but she has just pulled out of the French Open over mental health issues, a hot-button issue in tennis.
Tokyo Olympics going ahead ‘state of emergency or not’ – IOC’s Coates
36. What does Naomi Osaka think?
Japan’s No 1 athlete has called for a discussion on the Games going ahead. That has not yet happened.
37. Why is a Myanmar swimmer boycotting the Olympics?
Win Htet Oo  is sacrificing his dream to bring attention to his country‘s coup. Other athletes may yet follow suit, either before or during the Games.
38. What are the Covid-19 rules for athletes?
Right now – and who knows – daily testing, no watching events, no talking while eating.


39. What can the media expect?
There were no mixed zones at Tokyo 2020 cycling test event and it all depends on the next playbook.
40. Can fans with tickets get their money back?
There has been fury at this worldwide. Hong Kong fans will lose out on HK$600 each.
41. Does every athlete have access to vaccines?
Vaccines have been offered to the IOC for those going to Tokyo and many countries have prioritised their athletes for vaccines.

42. Has there been any dissent among Japanese politicians?
Yes. The coronavirus could still derail the Tokyo Olympics, one senior Japanese politician warned last month.
43. Have any athletes turned their backs on the Games?
Hong Kong swimmer Yvette Kong Man-yi has decided not to compete in the Tokyo Olympics, and she will instead watch online.
Stop judging Sun Yang; focus on broken system, lawyer says
44. Will Sun Yang be there?
China’s star swimmer’s appearance depends on the result of a Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling that is expected before the end of June.
45. Will Son Heung-min be there?
The Spurs star’s coach says he wants to go but there is a complication. Son Heung-min’s English Premier League team will need to allow it , no matter his own wishes. Son played in 2016.


46. How much are the Games costing Japan?
The official figure puts the cost of delayed Olympics up by 22 per cent to US$15.4 billion but audits by the Japanese government have shown the costs are higher than officially stated and are at least US$25 billion
47. Are any of the athletes opposed to vaccinations?
Champion sprinter Yohan Blake said he would “rather miss the Olympics” than get the Covid-19 vaccine. Usain Bolt’s former rival told fans to “follow your mind, don’t follow the crowd” after strongly rejecting the vaccine, but IOC rules state he will still be able to compete.


48. Have any countries pulled out?
Only North Korea so far. The North Korean Olympics snub was coming, and it opens up weightlifting golds.
49. What about foreign fans?
They are banned. As are athletes’ families. Only those deemed vital to the Games will be allowed to travel from overseas.
Osaka wants ‘discussion’ on Olympics amid virus surge in Japan
50. What do Japanese companies want?
More than half of Japan firms want the Olympics canned or postponed. A poll showed 56 per cent of firms wanted the Games to be cancelled or postponed and 7.7 per cent say they should proceed in full form as scheduled.


Chinese diving star Chen Yuxi says she has received threats, denies she ‘has connections’

Chinese swimmers’ doping tests: Wada launches Operation Puncture to probe leak

China women’s volleyball coach Zhao says ‘hard work’ can take team back to top

Doping offence earns Tokyo Olympics swimming gold medallist a 21-month ban

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games: 50 questions with 50 days to go

Is it safe for the Covid-19-postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games to go ahead as planned with 50 days to the opening ceremony? Photo: Shutterstock

An ignition ceremony for the Tokyo Olympic torch relay is held at Heiwadai Athletic Stadium in Fukuoka, southwestern Japan, Tuesday, May 11, 2021. The torch relay was taken off public roads due to the coronavirus pandemic. The next week's torch relay is being pulled off the streets in Hiroshima prefecture, too, as COVID-19 cases rise in Japan. This is at least the sixth change to the relay - from rerouting to cancellation - in the last several weeks as cases surge in Japan. Organizers warned before the relay began that changes and delays were expected in the face of the pandemic. (Kyodo News via AP)

epa09222265 Protesters appeal to pedestrians during a demonstration against the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Shinjuku in Tokyo, Japan, 23 May 2021, two months before the opening of the Games of the XXXII Olympiad. After a three-day meeting of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission for the Summer Games, Tokyo 2020 Coordination Commission chair and IOC Vice President John Coates has said the Olympic Games can be held this summer even if Tokyo is under a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 coronavirus disease pandemic. More than 80 percent of Japanese people think to cancel or postpone the Tokyo Olympic Games according to an opinion poll by a Japanese TV in mid-May. EPA-EFE/KIMIMASA MAYAMA

CEO of the Tokyo 2020 Toshiro Muto, left, Chairman of the Coordination Commission for the Games of the XXXII Olympiad Tokyo 2020 John Coates, (on screen) and President of the Tokyo 2020 Seiko Hashimoto, attend the Tokyo 2020 IOC Coordination Commission press conference on Friday, May 21, 2021 in Tokyo.(Nicolas Datiche/Pool Photo via AP)

(210528) -- MANILA, May 28, 2021 (Xinhua) -- Athletes wait to receive COVID-19 vaccines in Manila, the Philippines on May 28, 2021. Around 700 athletes including dozens of athletes who are qualified for the Tokyo Olympics and are about to participate in the Olympic trials, as well as those who will participate in this year's Southeast Asian Games were vaccinated. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

Tokyo Olympics chief rules out delay despite opposition and rising coronavirus cases

A woman rides a bicycle near the Olympic Rings in Tokyo. Photo: AP

Tokyo Olympics organising committee president Seiko Hashimoto. Photo: AP

Tokyo 2020: Viral Chinese swimmer Fu Yuanhui ‘not going to Olympics’ after missing qualifiers

Chinese swimmer Fu Yuanhui at a race in 2018, carrying a left shoulder injury. Photo: Xinhua

Tokyo Olympics: calls grow in South Korea to boycott Games over island dispute with Japan

South Korean Marines take part in a military exercise on the Dokdo islets in 2019. Photo: South Korean Navy/Yonhap via Reuters

South Koreans hold unification flags to welcome the planned summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un near the presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, April 26, 2018. Seoul says North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon-Jae-in will plant a tree together and inspect an honor guard after Kim walks across the border for the leaders' historic summit. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Tokyo Games 2020: world champions US fail to qualify for 3x3 men’s basketball

A boat sails past the 2020 Olympic rings in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: TNS

Tokyo Olympics: with eight weeks to the Games, is Japan delaying day of reckoning amid torrent of warnings?

The Japanese government is likely to recommend extending a state of emergency that includes Tokyo and other major cities as it tries to rein in coronavirus infections ahead of the Olympics. Photo: Bloomberg

Dr. Naoto Ueyama, chairman of Japan Doctors Union, takes off his face mask during a press conference Thursday, May 27, 2021, in Tokyo. Dr. Ueyama warned Thursday that holding the one-year-delayed Tokyo Olympics in two months could lead to the spread of mutant variants of the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

FILED - 05 September 2018, Japan, Tokyo: A general view of the logo for the postponed Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics. Nearly 60 per cent of Japanese favour the cancellation of the Tokyo Olympics in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, a survey conducted by Kyodo News showed on Sunday. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa

Sport

China

Hong Kong

Tennis

Other Sport


Will the Games go ahead? Why is China backing them? Will there be boycotts?
Here are 50 of the most pertinent questions as organisers scramble towards the Covid-19-impacted Olympics



Will the Games go ahead? Why is China backing them? Will there be boycotts? Here are 50 of the most pertinent questions as organisers scramble towards the Covid-19-impacted Olympics.


Provide background, definition and detail of a specific topic, helping the reader understand how something works or what has happened in the past.  (Eg. What is Nafta? US and Mexico are on the verge of revising trade deal.)


Explainer

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} Will the Games go ahead? Why is China backing them? Will there be boycotts? Here are 50 of the most pertinent questions as organisers scramble towards the Covid-19-impacted Olympics

Will the Games go ahead? Why is China backing them? Will there be boycotts?

Here are 50 of the most pertinent questions as organisers scramble towards the Covid-19-impacted Olympics