By Jessica Jimenez — Reporter
It’s no secret that the 32nd Olympic Summer games are canceled this year.
The biggest sporting events of the year where athletes from all over the world join together and compete with spectators watching will not take place because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Things were looking optimistic because the Olympics were moved to July 23-August 8, 2021, but according to Kentaro Iwata, a Japanese professor of infectious diseases at Kobe University is “very pessimistic” that the global event might not even take place next year either.
While this was the right call to make, it is unfortunate for all of the athletes and the organizing committee.
With the scope of things up in the air and the rapid rate at which people contract the disease and then recover from it is taking a long-time for numerous reasons.
As I thought deeper about the situation the world is in, my shock factor then shot low.
State governors have come up with separate timelines of reopening and asymptomatic people are going out and running errands exposing people to the virus.
Protests are occurring at state capitols with big groups of people huddled around in the hundreds doing specifically what scientists say not to do and that is what’s keeping the country stuck in the outbreak.
The pandemic will clear up if people listen and shelter-in-place.
“Holding the Olympics needs two conditions; one, controlling COVID-19 in Japan, and controlling COVID-19 everywhere,” Iwata said.
Iwata insists that bringing in athletes from all around the world is not compatible with the COVID-19 infection, therefore keeping the pandemic alive.
He has a great point here. If countries worldwide can control the virus with the help from scientists to eradicate it with a vaccine or drug, then there might be a possibility of Tokyo hosting the Olympics next year.
With deaths in the thousands happening daily, it does not look as though big events with mass gatherings would occur anytime soon.
We have to wait for scientists to manufacture and develop a way out of the pandemic, such as a vaccine. That may take months or even years. We do not know.
Yes, maybe things will look better by the summer of 202. But if not, strict preventative measures need to be taken.
The Olympics should be spectator-less.
Having trained for years in their respective sport, I believe Olympians would still want to compete regardless if there are spectators or not.
Japan is not out of the woods from the pandemic and we don’t know when or if they’ll get the all-clear in 15 months to host.
With all this in mind, I think without a vaccine or drug the Olympics will be highly unlikely, keeping the games delayed once again.
You have to take into account that people from all over the world travel to the Olympics, pass through airports, hotels, etc., and then thousands of spectators attend each event, not social distancing.
Seating at the stadiums and venues with all of these people would put everyone at a higher risk if there is still no vaccine by next summer.
Follow Jessica on Twitter @jessicajim06