Should the Tokyo Olympics go ahead?

As Japan struggles to contain its fourth wave of COVID-19 infections, there is overwhelming public opposition in the country to the Summer Games going ahead this year.

Japan’s Asahi Shimbun, an official partner of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, has this week called for the Games to be cancelled.

But with the opening ceremony scheduled to take place in under two months, is it too late for the major sporting event to be postponed, or even cancelled altogether?

Stephen Nagy, a Senior Associate Professor in the Department of Politics and International Studies at the International Christian University in Tokyo, spoke with Ticker News.

If the games were to be cancelled altogether, Stephen Nagy believes it would send a negative message to other cities interested in hosting the Olympics down the track.

“This will raise questions for cities around the world… which city is going to want to risk money if there is a potential cancellation,” he explained.

But Dr. Nagy says he is “quite confident the Japanese Government and organisers can put together a safe Olympics” as the likelihood of a “spillover of the virus into the local community is very, very low”.

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Asahi Shimbun, a Japanese newspaper publisher, cited risks to public safety and strains on the medical system, in calling for the Games to be cancelled.