The Tokyo 2020 Olympics were controversial and are now history. Due to the COVID pandemic, the Olympics were delayed by a year and played out in mostly empty stadiums and venues across Japan, but the quadrennial event nevertheless carried on and provided its usual share of agonies and ecstasies, inspirational stories, and world-class memories for participants and viewers alike. Eleven thousand athletes from 206 countries participated in the 3-week Olympic competition. [Note of course that the 2020 Paralympics will begin on August 24 and run for 2 weeks. So the excitement is far from over.]
But a key question that has been hanging over the athletic performances concerns the impact that COVID has had on these games. To ensure the safety of the athletes and participants, strict COVID guidelines and protocols were established by the Olympic Committee and the nation of Japan. All participating nations agreed to follow them. The lack of spectators, the social distancing and masking protocols, the travel restrictions on visitors, all contributed to an unworldly and potentially risky experience that generated calls for cancellation right up to the opening ceremonies. Many commentators have called these the weirdest Olympics in memory.
An Olympic / Paralympic Village was created on a spit of land in Harumi district in Tokyo Bay, targeting both physical security and health concerns for the athletes. While not compulsory, Olympic officials expected most athletes to take advantage of the facility.
So, despite concern that the Olympics might become a COVID superspreader event, by early reports at least, that mostly didn’t happen. Let’s take a look at the numbers. According to the COVID case reports issued daily by the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee, from July 1 to August 8, there were a total of 430 reported Olympics-related COVID cases. Those COVID victims broke down into the following categories:
Reported Olympics-related COVID cases, July 1 - August 8, 2021
Athletes |
29 |
Games-concerned personnel |
109 |
Media |
25 |
Tokyo 2020 employees |
10 |
Tokyo 2020 contractors |
236 |
Volunteers |
21 |
Total |
430 |
Inside OV/PV |
32 |
Outside OV/PV |
398 |
Specific names of individuals were not released in the official reports, but the nationalities of the 29 COVID-affected athletes were identified as follows:
Positive COVID tests by nationality
Chile |
1 |
Czech Republic |
4 |
Germany |
1 |
Greece |
5 |
Italy |
1 |
Netherlands |
4 |
South Africa |
2 |
Trinidad & Tobago |
2 |
USA |
2 |
Not reported |
7 |
An important question arises as to the degree of protection afforded by confinement within the bubble of the Olympic / Paralympic Village. While more than 93 percent of all 430 reported cases occurred outside the bubble, that’s not actually relevant, since most of the COVID victims were not athletes likely to be housed in the Village. Of the 29 reported COVID-affected athletes, 18 were resident in the Village, while 11 were housed outside the Village. It appears that the bubble was no more effective at protecting the athletes than the general protocols imposed on all participants.
The 29 Olympic and Paralympic athletes that tested positive were required to spend their Olympic experience in a 14-day quarantine and undergo contact tracing. While a lucky few may have completed their quarantine and still competed, or may yet compete in the Paralympics, the quarantine was an effective disqualification for virtually all those competitors. Despite decades of training and fighting for a once-in-a-lifetime spot on their respective Olympic teams, their Olympic hopes were tragically cut short, and may never be realized again.
Was it worth it? For the thousands of athletes who successfully participated and carried home honors and for the millions of engaged viewers around the world, the answer must be a resounding yes. These Olympics were carried out as safely and as effectively as could be expected under the circumstances. As an Olympics junkie, I am thankful that the preparations were effective and the athletes were inspirational, as always. I was enthralled by skilled and talented competitors at the peaks of their careers in sports that I barely knew existed. But for those unlucky few who lost out on their Olympic dreams, the experience of a lifetime will be memorable for a far different reason.