Status: 07/25/2021 11:39 a.m.
In the Olympic city of Tokyo, the number of infections continues to rise. One problem: many no longer adhere to the rules – athletes out of joy about medals, spectators on the streets out of frustration with the pandemic itself.
According to an expert, the Olympic Games threaten to indirectly lead to an increase in the number of corona infections. Not the Olympic participants are the main problem, said the political professor Koichi Nakano from the Sophia University in Tokyo of the news agency dpa. Rather, it is the fact that the games are actually taking place at a time when the population is increasingly “frustrated” by the corona emergency, which has been prolonged again and again.
“People are getting impatient”
“People are getting impatient and stop listening to the government,” said Nakano, citing the previous day’s bike races as an example. Numerous spectators could be seen at the roadside, sometimes they were standing in several rows along the route.
On Sunday, Tokyo reported 1,763 new infections within 24 hours, up from 1,128 the previous day. This means that the number of new infections has exceeded 1000 cases for six days in a row. Last Thursday the number was 1979, the highest since January.
In the run-up to the Games, a majority of the population had spoken out against the Games. But now that the games have started, some would think “it doesn’t make sense to protest. Now you can support the games,” said Nakano. “That is a very typical Japanese way of thinking,” said the political scientist.
In addition, practically all television stations were taken over by the Olympic Games as a result of the massive influence of the Japanese advertising agency Dentsu, which, as the exclusive marketing partner for the games, also awards the advertising slots. It is in their interest to win the citizens over to the Olympics through constant sprinkling. The resulting interest in the Games meant that, despite all government appeals, many citizens did not stay at home, but instead wanted to experience the Olympics as closely as possible, as they did at the cycling races.
Hundreds of fireworks
Hundreds of people had gathered in front of the stadium for the opening ceremony and watched the fireworks, even though they were not allowed into the stadium. Nakano fears a drastic increase in infections in the next few days. The fact that the numbers are low at the moment is due to the fact that there was hardly any testing over the holidays and the weekend. With the appeal of the state to stay at home, be it with a heavy smoker “who tells his children not to smoke”.
Violations of rules at celebrations
However, there are problems not only outside of the sports facilities, but also within. After hugs and violations of the mask requirement at Olympic medal ceremonies in swimming, the organizers of the games recalled compliance with the corona rules. “We ask and urge everyone to obey the rules, whoever you are,” said Mark Adams, spokesman for the International Olympic Committee.
The season from Australia celebrates gold.
Image: dpa
After the women’s 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay, teams from Australia, Canada and the USA had not worn a mask on the podium and were seen hugging. There were similar scenes at the award ceremony after the men’s 400 meter medley. “It is not a friendly request, but an obligation, both for the sport and for everyone involved,” said IOC spokesman Adams.
Everyone in the Olympic environment is asked to adhere to the so-called playbooks, the comprehensive manuals for the corona rules at the summer games in Japan. “We understand the joyful excitement and feel for the athletes, but unfortunately we had to make the rules stricter. This message is reaffirmed again and again, not just to the athletes,” emphasized Adams.
132 positive cases in the context of the games
The number of positive tests at the Games has risen to 132 since the start of recording on July 1st. The organizers confirmed two further cases of the athletes, and there have recently been ten more positive tests in the context of the Olympics.
According to the announcement, one of the athletes affected is a Dutch rower. The Oranje team had already confirmed the corona case of the 21-year-old Finn Florijn on Saturday. In the German team there was the first corona infected on the opening day by cyclist Simon Geschke.
Geschke criticizes quarantine conditions
Geschke is currently in quarantine in a hotel in Tokyo. The Berliner has to spend a maximum of ten days there. The start ban had overtaken him the day before the Olympic race over 234 kilometers on Saturday. He criticized the quarantine conditions in tweets as torture.
Germany’s Chief of Mission Dirk Schimmelpfennig, however, sees no reason for general uncertainty. “I didn’t notice any increased fear in the athletes after this incident,” he said. “Everyone in Team D” is relieved that the case happened outside of the Olympic Village in a small group.
“We noticed it, but we don’t deal with it,” said triathlon sports director Jörg Bügner. “Certainly this is difficult for cyclists. Anything else would be glossed over,” said DOSB President Alfons Hörmann. The bottom line is that it is “not a burden, but a confirmation of the pandemic management” for the team. But it will be necessary to remain aware of the dangers “until the last day.”