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Sport’s most joyous party – the Olympics, now tiptoes towards its scheduled Tokyo date.

For, imagine an Olympic athletes’ village with 10,500 residents and at least the same number of officials and support staff. With the world trooping in from every distant part of the globe, the enormity of troubleshooting needed to pull off the gigantic Olympics amidst this pandemic becomes ominously clear. More than a year from a postponed Tokyo Games scheduled for July-August 2021, murmurs have started about another deferral……..

While IOC chief Thomas Bach has categorically said no Plan B exists and Japanese premier Shinzo Abe has stated that 2021 is the only option, the prevalent situation in the world with a vaccine still not firmed up and the virus erupting like a rash, puts an almighty question mark on even the deferred dates of the Games.

While athletes have been urged to carry on their preparations keeping July 23, 2021 as the target, a realistic assessment throws up doubts, which puts the spotlight on the March 2021 deadline to determine if the Games can take off as promised…….

“It is hard to imagine the Olympics proceeding without the virus under control throughout the world, or that some countries do not participate based on some criteria that suggests COVID-19 is not under control in a country. Ultimately, the assessment would have to be based on whether a healthy athletes’ village can be maintained… an athletes’ village is akin to the cruise ship difficulties seen during COVID-19,” ……… https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/sport-others/tokyo-olympics-2021-year-not-long-enough-covid-19-6463952/