Summer Olympics

[KaliR 0]

What is everyone thinking about the summer Olympics? Will they be played? Will all the countries send players? The world is a scary place right now.

[Crompy 1]

I have not heard much but I bet they will be changed. They start in July. President Trump said this could go on until August or September. I bet a lot of countries will ban their citizens from competing.

[DandyMandy 25]

At the very least I bet it will be postponed. Imagine how much money the host country has already spent preparing for the games. Yikes!

[lymmo 8]

At the very least I bet it will be postponed. Imagine how much money the host country has already spent preparing for the games. Yikes!

The host country has spent a lot already, and its reluctance to cancel a competition four months away is understandable. Japan doesn't want to rush things in the hope that things will have resumed to normal by then, but there are indications that postponement is on the cards.

[Knox 4]

Four months is a good amount of time. Do you guys think it might blow over by then? It seems like they're working around the clock on a vaccine/treatment option.

[Boomer 8]

I'm also thinking postponement, maybe even waiting until 2021. Various national groups are asking for delays. I wouldn't be surprised if the games got cancelled, very unfortunately.

[Snarky-Guru 7]

I feel for the athletes who have trained so hard. I love watching the Olympics and was looking forward to it, but I don't believe they will carry on while the coronavirus is causing such havoc.

[headrush 8]

Canada and Australia have pulled out of the games. Both are asking for postponement – until 2021. Makes me wonder who else will join them.

[Spade 2]

We can’t take the risk because Olympics, a huge number of people gather at the same location. And athletes are like national treasures. There is just too much risk if they still have it held in July.

[Crompy 1]

2021 is what I heard! I'm glad too. I'm sure the U.S. would have pulled out, or at least I hope they would have. This is a scary virus. I really hope that they figure out a cure, and a vaccine soon.

[KaliR 0]

I think they made the right decision for sure. I do feel bad for the Olympians but it is for their best interest. They hopefully can compete next year (if they don't age out).

[lymmo 8]

It wasn't going to look good for countries to keep pulling out when it was apparent that the atmosphere wasn't the best. The competition may have been a few months away, but a lot goes into preparing for the Olympics. The postponement was in the best interest of everyone!

[Evelyn 26]

I wonder what will happen with anti-doping violations and sanctions. Will those athletes have to sit out for a longer period of time or will the clock continue running which would allow them to essentially get off scot-free? Neither option seems fair to be honest.

[Boomer 8]

I noticed that right after the postponement announcement, Japan's government and/or media got a lot more transparent about the C19 spread within the country.

[lymmo 8]

I noticed that right after the postponement announcement, Japan's government and/or media got a lot more transparent about the C19 spread within the country.

It didn't make sense for the Japanese government to insist on hosting the competition, and if the postponement made it more transparent, the better! 2021 is going to be a busy year considering the urgency around the conclusion of most sporting activities.

[KaliR 0]

I noticed that right after the postponement announcement, Japan's government and/or media got a lot more transparent about the C19 spread within the country.

Wow, I missed this. So you think they were trying to cover up their problem? Like they were hoping to make money at the health expense of other nations.

[Boomer 8]

@KaliR , it looked like a mix of covering up, not wanting to spook the local population too much, and carefully timing announcements based on what other countries were saying and doing.

[coleman 9]

@KaliR , it looked like a mix of covering up, not wanting to spook the local population too much, and carefully timing announcements based on what other countries were saying and doing.

Perhaps it was also a way to instill confidence and avoid the postponement of the Olympics. In coming out, the government could have been doing some damage control. Its priorities shifted to ensuring COVID-19 was tackled and managed effectively.