Tokyo Olympics 2020

With only three days to go, the Tokyo 2020(2021) Olympic Games have proceeded remarkably well with few hitches. Although Tokyo has seen a rise in Covid cases despite the banning of tourists or citizens to watch the games, there have been no pressing issues as the games have carried on successfully.

A flashback to Tokyo's bid for the Olympics:

In the 125th International Olympic Committee session in Buenos Aires, Tokyo won the bid for the Summer games in 2020 with more votes than the majority needed. This was a major success for the Japanese government as they had been lobbying hard to host the Olympics.  Furthermore, support from back home in Japan was overwhelming. The Japanese public were jubilant because they could see their homeland hosting the olympics after 56 long years. 

An interesting question that can be discussed here is why do governments so desperately want to host the Olympics in their own countries? After all hosting the Olympics can be ludicrously expensive. Take for example the 2008 Beijing Olympics which caused a whopping $40 billion! Other problems that the Olympics bring along are increased levels of pollution and the allocation of taxpayer money on the Games rather than other pressing issues that the country might be facing. 

However, hosting the Olympics can be beneficial for the government in the long run. A study conducted in various countries that have hosted previous olympics have shown that its citizens were increasingly in favor of having the Olympics hosted in their own city/country, which makes the government more popular. Another reason is the massive influx of tourists due to the Games, which significantly boost the country's economy. This was one of the main advantages of hosting the Olympics in Tokyo as it is already one of the most visited cities in the world. Sadly due to the Covid-19 pandemic, no tourists are allowed which has caused a dent in the Japanese economy. Furthermore, hosting the Olympics gives the city global media coverage, and can be used to portray it in a good light to the world. Also, the city will have significantly better infrastructure in the aftermath of the Olympics. This was seen in Athens when after the 2004 olympics, the city had a much improved transportation system including a new airport, ring road and a subway system.

Then in 2020 the Covid-19 pandemic struck. Uncertainty and despair reigned as the whole world shut down. Although the situation in Japan was not as bad as compared to other countries, countless people lost their jobs and many small time businesses shut down. Due to the bleak economic situation, the public were not interested in watching the Olympics amidst the suffering that people were facing. This was scary for the Japanese economy as it was already in a recession and could stand to lose a lot more if the Olympics got cancelled. However, the global situation has become slightly better since last year allowing athletes from all around the world to congregate and participate in the Games this year. 

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games has been conducted successfully so far, managing to uphold the legacy of this legendary quadrennial event😀