Saying that the world is effectively in shambles right now would be a massive understatement in the grand scheme of things, and this is best highlighted by either the suspension, cancellation or postponement of most, if not all, of the world’s sporting events. The Americans have suspended the NBA season, the Indians have postponed the commencement of their Indian Premier League, while even the cash-rich world of Formula 1 has had to call off their premier race of the season.
It’s only in a time of commotion that we realise just how much value the things we love have. While the rest of the world is on the run in search of toilet paper and hand sanitizer, a small section of people in Tokyo and other parts of the world are breaking their head over a possible solution to the Olympics conundrum. Cancelling the event for the first-ever time since World War 2 is an eventuality that the organisers will be working hard to avoid. Still, unless the situation gets better, that is starting to look like the inevitable reality.
How The Tokyo Olympics Actually Came About
The Japanese city’s bid was selected by the Olympics ahead of Istanbul and Madrid, in what was touted to be an extremely close bidding process. The country of Japan has been in preparation for this renowned event for the longest time now, but the unfortunate COVID-19 pandemic has sent shockwaves all around the world.
The Threats And Consequences
The Olympics is arguably one of the biggest sporting events in the world calendar, if not the biggest. The amount of training, hard work and dedication it takes for each athlete to reach an Olympic level is no cake-walk, and it’s every one of their collective efforts that have been threatened by this deadly virus.
COVID-19 is an extremely contagious viral infection with one of the lowest mortality rates when compared to the other deadly pandemics that the world has dealt with over the last many decades. With a mortality rate just under 2%, it does seem like a disease that needn’t concern people too much. The frustrating part about the virus is it’s almost unbelievable ability to spread like wildfire.
The disease can be passed from person to person through touch or aerially, making it one of the easiest pandemics to catch. The most worrying element of the virus is that the affected patient can be asymptomatic for as long as two weeks before the signs actually begin to show. Also, while one patient might be able to heal from the issue within a couple of days, releasing him back into the general public without completing the necessary isolation period puts every single person that he/she comes into contact with at risk.
The Solution
Unless a vaccination for this dangerous virus is found in the next couple of months, it’s safe to say that the entire world could be forced to come to a standstill. Some of the most famous names on earth have been affected by this disease, with Tom Hanks, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Mikel Arteta and Rudy Gobert all currently in isolation receiving the required treatment. The small mortality rate caused people to underestimate it, but the rate at which its spread is sure to be a cause for concern.
Since it’s outbreak in Wuhan, the affected numbers haven’t been slowing down, meaning that the contagion is still very much on the loose. In 2016, more than 11,000 athletes took to the stage at the Olympics, and such an expansive gathering with people from all over the globe could have dire effects on the world itself. While a complete cancellation of the event would be a total calamity, a temporary postponement does seem like the best option at this point, especially considering that the safety of the world has to be taken into account.
