WILL the Tokyo Olympic Games push through? Or will it be canceled?
That is the question begging for a quick answer.
As the world reels from the Covid-19 (Coronavirus Disease) menace, the quadrennial Games could be in serious peril.
Already, 34 nations—and counting—have been hit by the virus, including several Asian nations, since its outbreak was traced to Wuhan, China, on Dec. 17, 2019.
There is no definitive source of the virus, although scientists suspect it might have come from the meat of wild animals—possibly bats, snakes or even pangolins—being sold in markets in Hubei’s capital city of Wuhan.
In the absence of a conclusive cause of the virus, science is finding it hard to discover its cure, if not antidote.
What is only known is how the virus spreads: human-to-human through saliva, phlegm and the like.
Since doctors strictly tell us to avoid crowded areas, those badly hit by this directive are sporting tournaments that are natural attractions of a massive spectator attendance.
That is why the Tokyo Olympics set to begin on July 24 could become a woeful casualty as a sea of humanity is expected to flock to the Games’ main stadium on opening day alone—not to mention the influx of warm bodies showing up almost daily during the two-week conclave.
As of this writing, Japan’s Olympic officials, in close contact with IOC (International Olympic Committee) top guns, are wracking their brains on how to deal with the rapid spread of the virus worldwide.
Already, close to 82,000 people globally have been infected, with nearly 3,000 (2,750 to be exact) listed dead, mostly in China.
Hope is what Olympic organizers are clinging on to, desperately, for the virus to disappear, to be licked, by the time the Games come along. Only a miracle aka God’s grace can fix the mess.
Time is of the essence as we only have five months to go before the Olympic blast-off. Race against the clock. Can science save sports’ grandest event?
Man’s innate talent is under fire.