The Tokyo 2020 Games, Somehow a Success | Hiroyuki Ishida, Dean, Major in Public Health, Sport and Health Sciences, Graduate School of Health Management
2021.09.07
"Can the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games really be held amidst the COVID-19 pandemic? Our country is now about to conduct a grand social experiment."
In my previous article , I commented as follows. The fate of the Games was staked on the "Bubble" strategy, which confined athletes to a safe space, and this strategy appears to have been a success. During the Olympic Games, a total of approximately 624,000 antigen or PCR tests were conducted on athletes and other Games-related personnel, with 138 positive cases (0.02%) reported. Nineteen athletes were unable to compete due to COVID-19 after arriving in Japan. While there may be various interpretations of these figures, I believe it is a result to be proud of, considering the infection situation in the Tokyo metropolitan area at the time. On the other hand, what about "omotenashi" (hospitality), which was a keyword in the bid for the Games? There may be various opinions on this as well, but it turned out that it was the athletes who provided the greatest omotenashi to the nation. Seeing their joy and gratitude for being able to compete, the way they praised each other's efforts, and their explosive joy at winning gold medals, many people in the nation must have been deeply moved. Yes, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, we had long forgotten the emotional experience of being "deeply moved." It was the brilliance of the athletes that reminded us of it. However, the decision to hold the Games without spectators (with the added bonus of a state of emergency) was regrettable. With the one-year postponement, I had believed that preparations would be made to avoid this worst-case scenario, but in the end, we were unable to leave the real-life experience of the people as a legacy of the Tokyo 2020 Games. Despite the unprecedented resources invested in the bubble strategy and the weapon of vaccines, was a maximum strategic effort made to allow spectators? The lack of a clear message was also disappointing. In the soccer and basketball test matches held just before the Olympic Games, a certain number of spectators were present and cheering as usual. The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, featuring Shohei Ohtani, was a full house. I am surely not the only one who thinks there could have been a better way.
There was also considerable confusion regarding the omotenashi for the athletes. Although heat countermeasures had long been an issue, the policy of "it will somehow work out" was followed without any concrete measures. It reminds me of the disregard for logistics during the war. As expected, at the Ariake Tennis Park under the scorching sun, a succession of athletes declared, "I can't take it anymore!" and the women's soccer final, scheduled for midday at the new National Stadium with its non-retractable roof, drew comments from participating teams that amounted to a de facto boycott. These instances of "gaiatsu" (external pressure) led to last-minute changes in times and venues, but the hot environment was a risk that many experts had pointed out in advance, not an accident. This tendency to act only in response to external pressure may not have changed much since the arrival of the Black Ships.
By the way, the hosting of the pre-Games training camp for the British Olympic and Paralympic teams at Hiyoshi Campus was successfully carried out thanks to the dedicated efforts of everyone involved. I have heard that the "can-do attitude" on the part of Keio University, in particular, was highly praised by the British team. Let me give you an example. Regardless of whether it was for the Olympics or Paralympics, anyone who tested positive for COVID-19 had to be isolated. However, in the case of Paralympic athletes, the diversity of their disabilities posed a major problem for isolation measures. After their arrival in Japan, during discussions with the British team, a flood of questions arose: Are the isolation rooms barrier-free? Can wheelchair athletes use the toilets and showers? Athletes with intellectual or visual impairments cannot live independently. Are visits from caregivers permitted? The facilities prepared by the local government (Kanagawa Prefecture) were not sufficient to meet these needs. This was a predicament. The consensus on the Hiyoshi side was that mishandling this could develop into a human rights issue. The subsequent actions of the Hiyoshi administration and service staff were truly an excellent job! With the cooperation of the City of Yokohama, they procured a prefabricated shower booth for people with disabilities, typically used in disasters, and installed it on the balcony of the Kyoseikan Collaboration Complex. At the same time, they creatively used space within the Kyoseikan Collaboration Complex to create a "suite" where a positive case and their caregiver could be isolated, and then enclosed this entire setup within the bubble. This was a moment where the setup skills honed through the Rengo Mita-kai proved their worth. At the same time, I have no words to express my gratitude to Mr. Kazuo Tanimoto, President and CEO of Tanimoto Co., Ltd., who rented the shower booth to us free of charge and even transported it from Osaka. Incidentally, this gentleman has no connection to Keio University or the Olympics and Paralympics. The British team must have felt the spirit of the Japanese people.
Fortunately, the pre-Games camp concluded without a single positive case. A major undertaking that had been in preparation for about four years was over. I am confident that we were able to provide the best possible omotenashi as a result of the unified efforts of everyone involved: the faculty and staff of Hiyoshi Campus, of course, but also the student volunteers who devised the best ways to interact under COVID-19 restrictions, the Athletic Association students who cooperated in providing facilities, the partner companies that assisted with operations, and the representatives from the City of Yokohama.