The Tokyo Olympics survived the Covid-19 postponement, soaring expenses and some public opposition. A year later, the costs and benefits remain as difficult to untangle as the Games were to pull off. Know more:
TOKYO—The Tokyo Olympics survived the Covid-19 postponement, soaring expenses and some public opposition.In his speech at the closing ceremony, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said a major accomplishment of the Games was simply reaching the end.
“I think what the Games meant more than anything else was simply not having to deal with a cancellation,” David Leheny, a political scientist at Japan’s Waseda University, told The Associated Press. “There were no public health disasters associated with it. I do think officials would like to have run a victory lap—if the public had been more enthusiastic about it.”
How to judge? Legacy or costly hangover? Is there success to celebrate, or is it simply rejoicing over not having failed? The city government is holding a one-year anniversary event Saturday at the $1.4 billion National Stadium to mark the date of the opening ceremony. Athletes, high school and junior high school marching bands, and cheerleaders are to appear.
“I almost get the impression that the Olympics have come to that very quiet period where people don’t want to talk about it or even think about it,” Aki Tonami, a political economist at Japan’s University of Tsukuba, told AP. “Any analysis of what the Olympics meant is still in the symbolic phase. We don’t really have the capacity or the bandwidth to really dig down for a more long-lasting meaning.
“We’re already working toward that,” Seiko Hashimoto, the head of the Tokyo Games, said last month. “The significance of the Tokyo Games should be communicated thoroughly, otherwise the people in Sapporo and Hokkaido will not support this initiative.”
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