Poll of Japanese Citizens Favors Postponing 2020 Tokyo Olympics for Coronavirus

A poll of the Japanese population published by the Kyodo News report that 70% of respondents do not believe the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games should go on as planned.

English language news outlets Forbes a la the Wall Street Journal brought this news to the U.S. Monday. Furthermore, according to Forbes, more than 31 million people have been affected by Coronavirus cancellations. Most poignantly for swimming fans, the 2020 NCAA Championships for both women and men were cancelled. Other events, ranging from the NFL draft to the Boston Marathon to numerous stops on Billie Eilish’s world tour have been either cancelled, postponed, or will be held without spectators.

The WSJ reports that Japan has over 800 confirmed cases of the Coronavirus, though that figure is less than Europe and the United States. Granted, Europe and the United States boast much greater populations and areas than the archipelago nation of Japan.

The WSJ also reported that 60% of respondents to polls issued by two other Japanese news agencies were in favor of delaying the Games, while only 20% thought the Games should begin on July 24th as planned.

The Olympic Torch relay has faced numerous hiccups due to the Coronavirus pandemic and is intended to be handed off to Japanese officials on March 26th, though the ceremony will not be as large as once anticipated.

CBS News reports that Japan has spent between $12.6 and $25.2 billion on the construction of facilities and other preparations for the 2020 Olympic Games. If the Games were cancelled, a $1 billion insurance fund exists to aid organizations that would suffer from the cancellation of the Games. The growth of Japan’s GDP stands to shrink by 1.4% if the Olympics were cancelled, reports the Japan Times.

The construction of the Olympic Aquatic Center for the 2020 Games received special attention from Team USA during the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships. As of November 2019, the Aquatics Center was reported to be 90% complete. Currently, the facility holds a 3.7-star rating on Google–if only the Internet had the opportunity to name the facility (lookin’ at you, Boaty McBoatface). Note, however, that the Olympic Aquatics Center is not open to the public and has a ribbon-cutting ceremony planned for March 2020.