Governing Bodies
TOKYO 2020 OLYMPIC GAMES UNLIKELY TO HAPPEN IN 2021, CORONAVIRUS EXPERTS SAY
Tokyo’s postponed Olympics is unlikely to take place even in 2021 as the conronavirus pandemic may not be fully contained around the world by then, a growing number of infectious disease experts warn.
The highly contagious virus, which has claimed more than 200,000 lives globally, will be at various stages of spread and infection in different countries by next summer, making it hard to pull off a large-scale international event, some health policy experts say.
Under such a scenario, guests and athletes from more than 200 countries and regions would require extensive testing and quarantines – a logistical process that may not be feasible.
“Japan may be able to contain the virus by next year’s Games” but other regions like the United States, Africa or Brazil may not, creating an uneven playing field for athletes, said Norio Sugaya, a visiting professor at Keio University’s School of Medicine in Tokyo and a member of a World Health Organisation (WHO) panel advising on pandemic influenza.
“It’s going to be tough to hold the Olympics.”
Sugaya’s concern is echoed by Yoshito Niki, a visiting professor of infectious diseases at Showa University, who warns that the world will need at least two years to contain the virus as infections return in the northern and southern hemispheres when they enter their winter seasons.
If the Games are to be pushed ahead regardless, spectators would have to be shut out and athletes would have to travel to Japan a month in advance for testing, he said. That raises the question of whether it will be even worth having the event at all, he said.
If extensive testing and quarantining of guests are needed, that would add to the massive logistical task of rescheduling the Games, which include rearranging contractors, securing venues and ensuring the multitude of stakeholder interests are aligned. At stake are billions of dollars in sponsorship money and broadcast rights.
A timely development of a vaccine would be one sliver of hope, but even that is optimistic as it may take three years for it to reach some of the poorer countries, Niki said. While more than 100 experimental vaccines are in some stage of development, according to the WHO, it will take more than a year to ensure their effectiveness and safety, according to Sugaya.
Japan’s Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto on Friday (May 1) said that the Games will not hinge on the development of a vaccine, Kyodo News reported.
Organisers and Japanese government officials have said that if the Games do not happen in 2021, then they will likely be cancelled. The Summer Games have been rescheduled for July 23 to Aug 8 of next year.
“If the virus isn’t contained by then, the Olympics will be difficult to pull off in its complete form,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday.
The Tokyo 2020 organising committee will continue to stay in close collaboration with the International Olympic Committee and the WHO, spokesman Masa Takaya said in an e-mailed reply to request for comments.
“With regards to the situation around the novel coronavirus, we do not speculate.”
The Games, originally scheduled to be held this summer, were postponed as the pandemic raged across the US and Europe. Over 3.2 million people have been infected.
While Japan is seeing some success in containing the virus after declaring a state of emergency in early April – which is set to be extended by a month – limited testing makes it hard to grasp the true scale of infections. Japan has about 14,000 confirmed cases, far less than some other major economies.
It is also going to be a challenge to make the competition fair, with the virus affecting the competing nations in different ways and at different times.
“If the pandemic spikes at different times in different zones, creating a devastating staggering, it will produce an unlevel playing field for the athletes,” Rick Burton, a professor of sports management at Syracuse University, said in an e-mailed statement.
“That could mean some Olympians would be cleared to resume regular training activities at different points of time. That advantage would not fit the Olympic ideal.”
– Bloomberg News
FIFA’s independent Ethics Committee has banned former Guyana Football Federation (GFF) General Secretary Ian Alves from all football-related activities for five years after finding he sexually harassed female staff members.
FIFA also fined Alves 20,000 Swiss francs ($22,000) after determining that he had breached provisions of the FIFA Code of Ethics relating to the protection of physical and mental integrity, abuse of position and general duties.
“FIFA has a strict stance against all forms of abuse in football,” the organisation said on Monday.
The decision followed a review of written statements from the victims, documents provided by the GFF, submissions from Alves, and other evidence gathered during the investigation.
Alves stepped down from his position in 2024.
The ban came into force on Monday, when the terms of the decision were notified to Alves, and the full grounds for the ruling will be communicated within 60 days in accordance with the Code of Ethics, FIFA added.
The GFF did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Alves could not immediately be reached for comment.
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Thursday that he planned to seek re-election for a fourth term in a bid to continue to lead the governing body of world soccer.
Infantino confirmed he would run for the 2027–2031 term in the closing moments of the FIFA Congress in Vancouver, which comes less than two months before the start of the World Cup.
The election will be held on March 18 in Morocco, which is set to co-host the 2030 World Cup.
Infantino said he was “honoured and humbled” to have the chance to run for a fourth term.
The Italian-Swiss took office in 2016, replacing Sepp Blatter, and was re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023.
Infantino has pushed for the expansion of FIFA competitions during his tenure, with this year’s World Cup in North America the first to feature 48 teams, while the women’s tournament in 2023 has been expanded to 32 teams.
Infantino’s tenure has also drawn some criticism over issues such as high World Cup ticket prices and the decision to award the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize to U.S. President Donald Trump at the World Cup draw in December.
Earlier this month, the council of South American football’s governing body (CONMEBOL) said in a statement it would unanimously support the 56-year-old if he decided to seek another term.
-Reuters
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The supporters of Vancouver Whitecaps, a professional football (soccer) club in Canada, have staged a protest outside the FIFA Congress on Thursday, voicing fears that the Major League Soccer club could be relocated as uncertainty deepens over its ownership and long-term future.
The club is one of Canada’s most historic football institutions and has long been a central part of Vancouver’s sporting identity.
Around 100 fans gathered as delegates arrived for the annual FIFA meeting in Vancouver, chanting, singing and waving club flags in a show of solidarity. The demonstration comes just days after Vancouver Whitecaps FC revealed difficulties in securing a buyer willing to keep the club in the city.
The Whitecaps disclosed earlier this week that “stadium economics, venue access and revenue limitations” have complicated efforts to sell the club, despite a 16-month search for new ownership.
Season ticket holder Derek Hawksworth said supporters felt compelled to act amid growing fears of relocation.
“I wanted to come down given the threat of the team possibly moving,” he said. “It’s a rich history with the Whitecaps in North America… we want Vancouver to stay and not relocate. The history is here, and we want to continue with that history moving forward.”
The Vancouver Whitecaps are a professional football (soccer) club based in Vancouver, Canada. They currently compete in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top-tier league in the United States and Canada.
Concerns were heightened by reports that cities such as Las Vegas and Phoenix are leading contenders should the club relocate.
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim has urged intervention, calling on the provincial government — which owns BC Place — to negotiate a “bridge deal” that would allow the team to remain while plans for a new stadium are explored. The club’s current lease at BC Place expires at the end of the year.
Despite the off-field uncertainty, the Whitecaps have been one of the standout teams this MLS season. They currently sit second in the Western Conference with 24 points from nine matches, just three points behind the San Jose Earthquakes.
For supporters, however, performances on the pitch offer little comfort as the future of their club hangs in the balance — a situation they hope global football leaders gathering in Vancouver will not ignore.
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