Japanese ‘enthusiastic’ about Tokyo Olympics, says men’s hockey coach

CHENNAI:  On Monday, a Kyodo News, one of Japan’s leading news agencies, had revealing poll numbers vis-a-vis Olympics. The poll ‘found 39.2 per cent believe the postponed Olympics and Paralympics should be cancelled, while 32.8 per cent think they should be rescheduled. Only 24.5 per cent responded that the Games should be held as scheduled’, Kyodo News wrote on their website. 

One person who spent considerable time in Japan since the pandemic broke out is the Japan men’s team’s hockey coach, Siegfried Aikman. Aikman, who is currently quarantining with the team in Kuala Lumpur before a series of friendly matches with Great Britain and Malaysia from April 17 - 25, is of the opinion that the majority of the Japanese public are actually ‘enthusiastic for the Games’.

“I know if you look at the newspaper reports, you start thinking that the people are not looking forward to the Games or perhaps they do not want it to be held,” he told this daily. “But all the people I have met are looking forward to the Games, they are incredibly enthusiastic and looking forward to it.”

That includes his own wards, who will play their first matches in over 18 months when they face Malaysia in a few days’ time. “My players are incredibly excited,” he says. “They have all sacrificed a lot of things to get here.” However, he does agree that there are a few areas of concern. “What I can tell you about the Japanese public is they are very afraid of catching the virus.” The poll agrees with this sentiment, by and large. “In the poll, 92.6 percent said they feel anxious about a resurgence of novel coronavirus infections.” 
A big reason for that is Japan’s slow moving vaccination process.

As of the beginning of this week, they have inoculated only one per cent of the total population. In fact, after limiting vaccinations to only healthcare workers for over a month, it finally started rolling out vaccines for older people from Monday. It’s why Aikman expects the entire Japanese contingent to take part without taking the vaccine.

“My players? No, I don’t think they will take the vaccine because Japan have vaccinated like a total of one per cent of the population or something. We are not in the priority group when it comes to taking the shot. I don’t think there is any chance that we will be given the shot by the time the Olympics comes around in July.”  Even as the country faces a possible fourth wave of the virus there is a quasi-state of emergency in Tokyo, Kyoto and parts of Okinawa prefecture till May Aikman hopes he can keep his wards safe. After returning to Japan, his team will continue to keep training in Kakamigahara, in Giju prefecture, their base. “When you compare it to Tokyo, it’s relatively free of Covid-19. We will keep training there.”