The 2021 Olympics is slated to commence in Tokyo on July 23rd, but there has been an ongoing debate about whether it should be cancelled or postponed ever since the COVID-19 pandemic started early last year. The Games have already been postponed by a year, but it looks like the world is still not ready to host the Olympics while they’re still tackling the pandemic. While there are many benefits to hosting the Olympics, ultimately the best choice would be to cancel it or postpone it further to protect the health of the athletes and the personnel, as well as the Japanese citizens, especially when the country itself does not have a firm grasp on how to handle the COVID-19 situation or a vaccination program.

Even though the use of masks is normalized in Japanese society - on a normal day, it is common to see someone wearing a mask on the street - this has not prevented or curbed the spread of the coronavirus in the country. Compared to the rest of Asian countries, Japan never took strict measures to enforce a lockdown. The most that has been done was for the government to declare a state of emergency on multiple occasions. Japan is currently experiencing its fourth wave of lockdowns. Apart from the closures of certain facilities and earlier closures of restaurants and shops, life has carried on, more or less as normal. People are travelling within the country, dining in at restaurants, socializing outdoors, etc. Furthermore, the government has not vaccinated the population even though they have the supply for it – less than 1% of the entire population has gotten the vaccine. If athletes were to pour into the country by the thousands, the local community would not be adequately equipped to fight the new strains of the virus.

However, hosting the Olympics in 2021 does have a host of benefits. The Olympics are a platform where athletes can showcase their years of training and hard work to a global audience, potentially make a name for themselves and get a huge boost in their careers. It’s their place and time to shine. There are definitely financial benefits for the sponsors of athletes and media stations, who can profit from the high viewership. The Olympics are also a way for the host country – in this case, Japan – to showcase their culture, tourism and tradition in front of the entire world. The Japanese government has spent a lot of money investing in the construction and upgradation of arenas for the various Olympic sports, including a brand new stadium. If the Olympics were cancelled, it would be a waste if these new facilities were left untouched. Furthermore, in a world that is currently racked with conflict, the Olympics could facilitate stronger feelings of solidarity. The power of sport fosters solidarity through good-natured competition, which is what the Olympics have been founded on.

Nevertheless, we simply cannot ignore the grave danger that the Olympics could bring to the world. In every Olympic Games, there are at least 10,000 athletes participating – this does not include the teams and personnel that fly in with the athletes. These many people coming to Japan will undoubtedly trigger a surge in cases, not only in Japan, but possibly even in the home countries of any infected athletes. They will all be checking in from the same airport. The risks are high, especially since the coronavirus is an airborne disease. Furthermore, many of the athletes are coming from high-risk countries, making the threat even more dangerous. There are currently plans to vaccinate all the athletes before they compete, but this will not prevent the virus from being passed around. Being ill and symptoms like headaches, fever, body aches, difficulty in breathing and a cough will undoubtedly hinder the athlete’s performance, if they were to contract the virus. If this happens, their time, money, and effort would be wasted as they would not be able to perform their best at the Olympics on the world stage, which they have spent years training for. Ultimately, their health is more important than medals.

After examining the pros and cons of hosting the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, it is clear that nothing is worth potentially losing a life. Besides the Olympics, there are still several international competitions taking place – with proper COVID-19 guidelines in place – where athletes can showcase their talents and earn accolades. Nevertheless, it looks like the Olympics are still going ahead at the end of July this year. One thing is for sure – this year’s Olympics will be nothing like we’ve ever seen before.