One of the more dramatic
one-eighty-degree turns in national opinion in recent years could be found in
Japan, host of the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. When the previous Games in
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil concluded in 2016, the Japanese were enthusiastic about
becoming the next hosts to the global multisport competition, having done so in
1964. When the COVID pandemic hit, they were relieved that the Olympics were
postponed. When the IOC and national organizers tried to push the Games through
this 2021 despite no significant downturn in the pandemic, the Japanese became
loud critics calling for the current Olympics to just be cancelled.
But as Inquirer.net notes, after the delayed Tokyo Olympics finally began
this past July 23, the harsh opposition to the event in Japan seems to have
softened. While the naysayers remain, some citizens in the pandemic-ridden
country now have a positive opinion of hosting the Games even as COVID-19 cases
continue to rise. Now-confident fans, while still denied access to most of the
event venues, have tried to cheer for the athletes as much as they could. And
outside of the Games themselves, interest in themed memorabilia and merchandise
have begun to show surprising highs.
The new Japanese mood for the
Tokyo Olympics can be best demonstrated by Hirochika Takeda, 42, an IT professional
and Tokyo resident who happened to look out the window and cheer on the women’s
triathlon participants as they passed outside his apartment in rainy weather. “I
had questions about holding the Olympics right up until the opening ceremony,”
says Takeda. “But once the sport began, I started to feel that maybe this is a
good thing.” In his view, once you see Olympians you cannot help but cheer for
them.
And if catching the athletes in
person is a no-go, then watching on TV has become the trending new Japanese
pastime. Local statistics show that over half of all Tokyo households have
tuned in to watch the Olympics live at some point or other. Even Tokyo 2020 souvenirs
have been getting a sales surge, with stores selling official Olympic merchandise
are becoming busy according to Tokyo 2020 licensing head Hikari Iinuma. A
notable factor in the change of attitude Japan holds for the Games might spring
from the splendid performance of their national athletes, which presently
matches the total medal frontrunner China in the amount of Gold medals won (11).
On the other hand, concerns about
a COVID super-spreader at the Olympics remain tangible, particularly as 2,848
new cases were reported just this Tuesday, July 27. While their protests are
subdued for the moment, they ask fellow Japanese not to forget the pandemic
even now.
Image courtesy of Yahoo News
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