The safety aspect of conducting such a mega event has been a bone of contention, even as the host nation Japan is reeling from the fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic, with its total caseload hitting 7 lakh. In fact, the argument against hosting the Games at such a precarious juncture was mirrored by the results of a recent opinion poll conducted in Japan by a news agency. As per the survey, about 83 per cent of participants affirmed that they did not want the Games to be held this year. A month ago, the percentage of those who had opposed the conducting of the Games stood at 40 per cent. The survey also revealed that 90 per cent of participants expressed apprehension that athletes and support staff from abroad could bring the virus into the nation.

The public outrage seems justified when one considers the condition of Japan at this point in time. As many as 70,000 people in the nation have been hospitalised due to COVID, while 35,000 people are under home care. It seems surprising that a nation as developed as Japan might face healthcare hurdles in the wake of the pandemic. But, the reality is that COVID-19 treatment is being seen as highly unprofitable in the Asian superpower, and is currently limited to public-run hospitals which make up just one-fifth of Japan’s 8,000-odd hospitals. To top it off, just about 4.1 per cent of the nation’s 126 million-strong population has been vaccinated so far with the first shot.

The Tokyo Organising Committee, on its part, has said that the Games will be held in an Olympic bubble and the sportspersons will be, in a strange twist of fate, advised to move as little as possible outside competition venues. The Japanese athletes are to be vaccinated from next month onward while the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is assuming that all athletes attending the Games from around the world will be vaccinated before arrival.

That might be the case with the sportspersons, but one must also account for volunteers who will pitch in with various services during the Games. Around 80,000-odd volunteers will be placed on duty during the Games, with many of them running the risk of being deputed on-field sans vaccination, because they do not qualify for the vaccines, as per the nation’s age-based rollout of the doses. Just this week, healthcare workers had expressed disappointment as talks regarding the dispatch of 500 nurses to the Olympics were held, at a time when there was an acute shortage of such staff at hospitals. The Olympics will nevertheless depend on the services of 230 doctors and 300 nurses every day.

The fact that the IOC is taking one of the biggest gambles in Olympics history goes without saying. There are billions of dollars riding on broadcasting rights and the Olympics can possibly not bear the brunt of yet another cancellation. However, the IOC might only have to look towards India to comprehend how sporting events can be derailed when held in the backdrop of a raging pandemic. Our case in point is the IPL which had to be unceremoniously halted midway, as several crew members and players tested positive.

While it is understandable that such events are aimed at providing a light at the end of the tunnel and a possible exit for a COVID-wracked planet, timing them during an outbreak is just the perfect recipe for disaster. And the sooner the IOC wakes up to this reality, the better it might be for Japan and all the participating nations and its athletes who risk life and limb for sport.