The Heat: Tokyo Olympics

The Heat

Amid an ongoing pandemic and a near empty stadium, the Olympic Games get underway in Tokyo.

Olympic organizers reported their largest single-day total of COVID-19 cases on Friday, just as the Games were set to officially begin. Tokyo organizers announced 19 new cases, including three athletes and three residents of the Olympic Village, bringing the total number to 106. Inside the main stadium the pageantry of the opening ceremony continued an Olympic tradition – only this time the seats were largely empty – out of caution and concern over the ongoing pandemic.

To discuss:

  • Yoshikazu Kato is a research fellow with the Rakuten Securities Economic Research Institute in Tokyo
  • Lisa Delpy Neirotti heads the MS Sport Management Program at George Washington University
  • Dick Pound is a former Olympian and vice president of the International Olympic Committee
  • Einar Tangen is a political and economic affairs commentator

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