With Restrictions and Tests, Tokyo Looks like the No-Fun Olympics

The delayed 2020 Olympics open in Tokyo in one month.

As the Games get closer, people are concerned that the event will not be much fun for anyone involved because of COVID-19 restrictions¹.

Many Japanese people are still not vaccinated² against the coronavirus. For much of 2021, people have been asking Japan's government to urge the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to cancel the event.

But in an opinion article for the Kyodo news agency, a member of the Japanese Olympic Committee said Japan has now been "cornered." The member, Kaori Yamaguchi, won a bronze medal in Judo³ in 1988.

In the article, she wrote that Japan is in a situation where "we cannot even stop now." She also said the IOC "seems to think that public opinion in Japan is not important."

The article is in response to the recent news that the Games will be held on July 23 as planned and that fans will be permitted. People in Japan continue to protest the Games.

Some people are worried that a major international event will risk the health of the nation, which just recently started easing coronavirus restrictions. A state of emergency ended Sunday in Tokyo and six other areas.

While COVID-19 cases are slowing in Japan, only about seven percent of the population is fully⁴ vaccinated.

Japan's top COVID-19 advisor⁵ is Dr. Shigeru Omi. He said it would be "abnormal⁶" to hold the world's biggest sporting event in the middle of a pandemic. He added that it would be safest to have the competition without fans.

He was overruled, however, by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

Koichi Nakano is a political science professor at Sophia University in Tokyo. He said the plan to go ahead with the Games is similar to the situation of a gambler⁷ who has lost too much money.

"Pulling out of it now will only confirm the huge losses made, but carrying on you can still cling⁸ to the hope of winning big and taking it all back."

Right now, the official cost of the Olympics is over $15 billion. More than half of the money came from the public. The IOC is only covering about 10 percent of the cost.

The IOC makes much of its money from broadcast payments. If the Games were to be canceled, the IOC would have to pay back up to $4 billion in broadcast rights.

Over a year ago, Japan was set to host what IOC president Thomas Bach called the "best-prepared Olympics ever."

Japan built a beautiful new stadium and made other improvements, hoping to put on an event that would be costly⁹, but memorable¹⁰ for foreign visitors. The hope, experts said, was that people would go home and tell their friends about the great time they had in Tokyo.

Now, however, the Games could close with the reputation of being an event that caused an increase in COVID-19 cases. Japan has reported more than 14,000 deaths from the disease.

People who watch the Olympics on television may still think Japan put on a successful event. However, in Tokyo it will not be the big party many people hoped for.

There will no public watching of events on large televisions. Athletes will not be permitted to go anywhere other than their hotels and their competition sites for the first two weeks. People watching the events in person will not be permitted to buy alcohol. Athletes will only be able to drink alcohol alone in their rooms.

Dr. Tetsuya Miyamoto is the director of medical services for Tokyo 2020. He said he hopes many people choose to stay home. Otherwise, he said, the virus "has the possibility of spreading ... the numbers could start to explode."

The Opening Ceremony is always an exciting event that people look forward to. Traditionally, many people wonder who will light the cauldron to start the Games. But this year, the questions are likely to include: Will the athletes stay apart as they march in the parade? Will they wear face coverings? Will they even attend?

Words in This Story

corner - v. to force (a person or animal) into a place or position from which escape is very difficult or impossible

gambler – n. a person who risks money on the result of a game, race or competition

cling – v. to hold onto something or someone very tightly¹¹

reputation – n. the way people think of someone or something

cauldron – n. a container that holds the traditional Olympic flame

1 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

2 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

3 judo   

n.柔道

参考例句：

• The judo is a kind of fighting sport.柔道是一种对抗性体育活动。
• Which is more important in judo, strength or techniques?柔道运动中，力量和技术哪个更重要？

4 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

5 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

6 abnormal   

adj.反常的，不正常的，不规则的

参考例句：

• This warm weather is abnormal for February.二月里这种温暖的天气不太正常。
• That is simply abnormal.那简直是反常的。

7 gambler   

n.赌博者；赌徒

参考例句：

• The gambler sponged a cigarette from the man sitting next to him. 那个赌徒向坐在他旁边的人讨支烟抽。
• He was notorious as a gambler. 他是臭名昭著的赌徒。

8 cling   

vi.缠住，粘住，依恋，依靠，坚信，坚持

参考例句：

• Wet clothes cling to the body.湿衣服贴身。
• Members of a family should cling together in times of trouble.一家人应该患难与共。

9 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

10 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

11 tightly   

adv.紧紧地，坚固地，牢固地

参考例句：

• My child holds onto my hand tightly while we cross the street.横穿马路时，孩子紧拉着我的手不放。
• The crowd pressed together so tightly that we could hardly breathe.人群挤在一起，我们几乎喘不过气来。