Tokyo Olympics Covid Rules Updated

Japan's government on Thursday approved lifting Tokyo's virus emergency just over a month before the Olympics, but set new restrictions that could sharply limit fans at Games events.

The state of emergency in place in Tokyo began in late April and largely limits bar and restaurant opening hours and bans them from selling alcohol.

What this will mean for the Olympics is: 

1. The measures will slightly relax the rules on alcohol, allowing sales until 7:00 pm, but still asks restaurants and bars to shut at 8:00 pm.
2. With just five weeks until the pandemic-postponed Games open, Tokyo is likely to maintain strict limits on the number of spectators allowed at large events.
3. The current state of emergency allows only 5,000 people or 50 percent of venue capacity, whichever is smaller. And on Wednesday, the government approved an upper limit of 10,000 spectators for areas not under any restrictions. Those rules are likely to guide Olympic organisers when they decide in the coming days how many domestic fans, if any, will be allowed to attend.
   
4. Overseas fans have already been banned from the Games for the first time, and organisers said they would wait to rule on domestic spectators until the emergency was lifted.
5. Olympic organisers have given up on selling any more tickets and are weighing a lottery system to determine which ticketholders will be able to attend events, Kyodo news agency reported.
6. Newly updated virus rulebooks released this week warn athletes they could be expelled from the Games if they violate requirements like mask-wearing and daily testing.Organisers say more than 80 percent of athletes will be vaccinated and they will be barred from interacting with the Japanese public.

 

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The Meaningless Games

 

Kaori Yamaguchi, a former Olympic medallist and executive board member of the Japan Olympic Committee, accused the IOC of ignoring public opinion, and said that Japan has been “cornered” into a situation in which it is “damned” whether it cancels or goes ahead.

She says that the Games have lost all meaning, and has called upon athletes to mutiny. 

"The games have already lost meaning and are being held just for the sake of them. We have been cornered into a situation where we cannot even stop now. We are damned if we do, and damned if we do not. ... But this also presents a good opportunity for athletes to confront the Olympics."

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Boris Backs The Olympics

NEW-

UK PM Boris Johnson call with Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga.

Downing St:

“The Prime Minister expressed his support for the Tokyo Olympics, and noted Japan’s efforts to ensure the Games can take place safely."

— Olly Barratt (@ollybarratt) May 28, 2021

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CDC Nixes Travel To Japan

#Japan Travel Advisory: Level 4 - Do not travel due to COVID-19-related restrictions. The CDC issued a Level 4 Travel Health Notice, indicating a very high level of COVID-19 in Japan. There are restrictions in place affecting U.S. citizen entry into Japan. https://t.co/Soq2SIfeMJ pic.twitter.com/UTQAQqQC5O

— Travel - State Dept (@TravelGov) May 24, 2021

Only two months to go until the Olympics, if they go ahead!

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Looks Like Olympics Are Off Again!

INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE PRESIDENT THOMAS BACH'S VISIT TO JAPAN EXPECTED TO BE CANCELLED - NHK

Don't worry, though, we can't cancel the Games ...

— Martin Baccardax (@mdbaccardax) May 7, 2021

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Taking a Knee Banned at Olympics

 

As per Reuters taking a knee during the Tokyo Olympics or lifting a fist in support of racial equality will be punished as the International Olympic Committee on Wednesday maintained its ban on athletes' protests inside stadiums, at ceremonies and on podiums.

The IOC's Rule 50 forbids any kind of "demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda" in venues and any other Olympic area and the Games body concluded the rule should be maintained following an athlete consultation.

 

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North Korea Pulls Out of Tokyo Olympics

North Korea has announced it will not take part in the Tokyo Olympics this year, saying the decision is to protect its athletes from Covid-19. 

This is not exactly unexpected, given that the North does not have "good" relations with Japan.

The decision puts an end to South Korea's hopes of using the Games to engage with the North amid stalled cross-border talks.

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Let The Train Take The Strain - Radical ROK Proposal

 

NK News reports that South Korean unification minister Lee In-young said he wants to send the country’s athletes and cheerleaders to the 2022 Beijing Winter Games using a railway that would pass through North Korean land. The idea itself is more than a decade old, but with just 10 months until the Beijing Olympics, Seoul is gunning for sports diplomacy and other projects to improve inter-Korean relations.

“Depending on what we do, I think the door is still open for dialogue and cooperation.

The Ministry of Unification will do its best to create momentum for reversing [the direction of] inter-Korean relations during the first half of 2021.”

If agreed upon, the train would depart Seoul Station, head to the inter-Korean border station of Dorasan, cross the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and head towards North Korea’s capital city of Pyongyang. After North Koreans get on board and join the South Korean delegation, the train would then head to Sinuiju — a North Korean city at the border of China — and then towards Beijing, where the Olympic games will be held. As Lee sees it, the ride could create a “very symbolic moment” in history.

However, this would require the approval of the USA.

Former unification minister Jeong Se-hyun supports the inter-Korean railroad, but said it likely won’t happen unless relations between Washington and Pyongyang improve.

“Picking North Koreans up and then going to Beijing together — that’s the dream.

But the most important factor here is the United States. Even if North Korea gets on board with the train … The final say on whether the train will be allowed through the Demilitarized Zone is with, unfortunately, the U.S. Forces Korea commander.”

 

 

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