Hashimoto: Olympics Can't Go Ahead If Athletes Can't Come

(ATR) Tokyo 2020 President Hashimoto Seiko was quizzed about hotly discussed topics such as holding the Games during a state of emergency in the host city, the delayed visit of IOC President Thomas Bach, the arrival of the Australian women's softball team and the withdrawal of thousands of volunteers with 49 days to until the Games starts.

Japan’s ongoing state of emergency has been extended three times and remains in place in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Aichi, Fukuoka, Hokkaido, Okayama and Hiroshima prefectures until June 20.

The host city announced 472 new cases on Friday, a reduction from 649 one week ago, as the country’s lackadaisical vaccine roll-out has finally shown some signs of gathering pace with 15.6 million vaccinations now administered.

President Hashimoto spoke cautiously about the current situation in her regular media briefing on Friday. Following on from IOC Vice President John Coates, who leads the IOC's coordination commission, commenting recently that the Games will go ahead even during a state of emergency, Hashimoto said it's imperative for athletes to be able to travel safely and to record negative tests otherwise the Games could potentially be in jeopardy.

"From June 1 we have started to welcome athletes, coaches, officials and other stakeholders, we have already started providing vaccines for these people at their training centers and other facilities.

"Our mission is to devote all our efforts to Games understanding, whether they will be held 100 percent or not I have had this question many times. For visitors and athletes from overseas, if nobody can come to Japan then naturally we can’t host the Olympic Games.

"We will monitor the COVID-19 situation in order to hold the Games with 100 percent confidence, it’s our mission to make all the preparations."

Hashimoto, when pushed about the logistics of potentially holding the Olympics during a state of emergency, said: "When there was no COVID-19 pandemic in sight many people including the government were unified. The purpose of the Games was to pursue important principles and show that Japan is strong in science and technology.

"The Games will disseminate such content and a legacy. I have been working as part of Tokyo 2020 under this principle. Suppressing infections has been a priority here for Tokyo 2020 and the Tokyo government and all citizens and the IOC are focused on that.

"People who are preparing to come to Tokyo have to have the understanding that situation is different to before. Japan and the world must put a stop to this COVID-19 pandemic. Regardless of having a Games or not we all want to end this pandemic as soon as possible."

Hashimoto insisted that everyone coming to the Games this summer can expect to feel safe in Japan.

"We will welcome about 90,000 people for the Games, the world is facing an extraordinary crisis and we should be able to prove by these countermeasures that we can welcome people during this pandemic safely.

"I believe another significant role of the Olympics and while some people may say athletes should not come to the Games, or that athletes should decline to compete, sport is one big industry now, athletes have done everything they can to prepare, to provide a winner to show what they have been doing, please understand that the Games has all these meanings and values, it’s up to us as the organizing committee to communicate this and how much effort we are putting into this."

The first group of Tokyo 2020 athletes arrived on June 1 as Australia’s women’s softball team travelled to Ota for a pre-Games camp upon their arrival in Tokyo.

The 29-strong party, who have all already been fully vaccinated, consists of 20 athletes and nine staff and travelled via Singapore to Tokyo Narita where they all tested negative for the virus.

President Hashimoto seemed to relish the opportunity to offer a complimentary assessment on how that process was managed and how the first set of Olympic athletes have settled in Japan.

"The women’s softball team from Australia are now in Ota and I think some people have asked to what extent they’re accountable for training and pandemic countermeasures.

"The organizing committee provided support for training training camps, there are host town projects and we appreciate the support the host locations have given us and the cooperation of athletes and stakeholders arriving from overseas.

"Most will be vaccinated but we still establish a bubble as they arrive in Japan and go through the Games, we are working to ensure these countermeasures are here for people who may come into close contact with visitors. We have to hold the pandemic at bay.

"I would like to thank Ota and the people of Ota, there have been no problems so far, things are going smoothly, athletes are cautious and everyone is in cooperation. It’s a good case study and a good example for teams who will come later."

Regarding questions about IOC President Thomas Bach’s postponed visit there was little in the way of clarity offered with the usual platitudes about monitoring the situation being offered and no confirmation of a new date.

"We wanted IOC President Thomas Bach to come once more before the Games but the COVID-19 situation is changing daily. We couldn’t judge when would be an appropriate time. From IOC Vice President Mr. Coates we received a report that the visit has been finalized, but it’s not fixed and final so we’ll monitor the situation for President Bach to come here at an appropriate time."

There have been reports of 10,000 volunteers relinquishing their roles as the crisis lingers due to Japan’s lagging vaccination roll-out compared to other first world countries and President Hashimoto feels the main reason is due to the Games being delayed for one year.

"Many who applied to be volunteers did so with a strong passion, I was very happy, but the postponement by one year and with the current circumstances some people don’t feel comfortable being a volunteer. Some people have new jobs or have moved or have had changes in their lives over the last 12 months. The reason depends on the people. More than 70,000 people will serve as volunteers for the Tokyo Games and are currently receiving training sessions now."

When asked by Around The Rings whether the delayed vaccination efforts in Japan are the reason for the public’s increasing skepticism about hosting the Games, Hashimoto only underscored the gravity of accelerating the roll-out for the host country.

"Regardless of the Olympics and Paralympics, as long as many people want to be vaccinated we need to be speedy and prepare vaccinations for all people, we and the government, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Tokyo 2020 need to coordinate a joint effort."

Homepage photo: Tokyo 2020

Written and reported by Mark Pickering in Tokyo

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