After being cancelled last summer due to the emergence of COVID-19, the Tokyo Olympic Games have been rescheduled to this summer with some major changes as to how it will be held. Due to COVID-19 cases still rising, the Olympics have announced that they will be held without spectators this year to avoid further spreading of the disease. This safety precaution is definitely a good call, but it is not enough to guarantee that the athletes and staff attending the event will be safe from the virus. 

Athletes that have been waiting multiple years now to compete in the Olympics, since the original date was pushed back a year due to the coronavirus, are frustrated at the proposition that the event might be moved back again due to continued safety concern. video credit: Katie Northenor

Megan Ranney, an associate professor of emergency medicine and medical analyst talks about her views on the subject when saying, “Currently, there are simply too many unknowns to guarantee protection from SARS-CoV-2 at the 2021 Summer Games, should they occur as currently being planned.”

COVID-19 cases have begun to slow with vaccines being distributed throughout the US and other countries around the world, but cases still continue to rise as of right now. By pushing the Olympics back one more year or even a few months, it would allow for more vaccines to be distributed throughout the world and allow for a safer environment for all participants in the event, with a possibility of spectators being able to observe. 

Sophomore Ethan Codelli expresses his safety concerns with the Olympics when stating, “With the pandemic we are currently facing, safety is a priority. Hosting the Olympics this summer could be risking the safety of the coaches, athletes, and staff of those attending the events. This could put them in danger of contracting the virus, as well as creating a chain reaction of the virus being spread throughout the entire event, which is why I think the Olympics should be pushed back at least a few months.”

Senior Samantha Northenor also explains how she also thinks that postponing the Olympics a few more months would be more beneficial than holding it this summer. “Although I think everyone around the world would love to have some sense of normality and enjoy watching the Olympics, it is in the best interest of the participants to postpone the event a few more months. This will allow more time for people to get vaccines and hopefully get to a point where COVID-19 cases rates are no longer increasing.”

By extending the wait for the Olympics, athletes who have been training for their events for the last few years are now forced to wait even longer to compete, which is very frustrating from their perspective. Although it is not ideal, in the interest of safety and there being no certain guarantee that the event will be virus-free, it is still too unsafe to hold the Olympics this summer as of now and it is in the best interest of the athletes to push back the event a few more months to allow for more vaccines to be distributed. 

To read more about why the Tokyo Olympics should be postponed click here to view Cecilia Rubio’s article.