Tel-Chai Nation

The Hill says the 2021 Olympics in Japan should be cancelled, as do much of the public:

Sports are fun to play and watch. But this year’s Olympics in Tokyo, which begin July 23 without spectators, has become mired in COVID-19 politics and health concerns as daily reports emerge of players testing positive for the disease. Maybe it’s time to re-visit the premise that these games are vital for world peace.

[...] Competition among nations happens on many levels — political, economic and social. To have competition in sports is remarkable because there is no real warfare, no cyber competition, no military troops actually fighting. There is pageantry, pride and play.

But COVID has changed everything. At first, it was just a few cases. Many of us watched for news of our local teams. When Washington Wizards basketball player Bradley Beal was told he would not play in the Olympics, I cried. It was Beal’s childhood dream to be part of the Games and he trained hard.

As a tennis player, I was heartbroken when news then broke that tennis star Coco Gauff would not be going to Tokyo due to a positive COVID test.

Many of us thought it would just be a few isolated cases and that Japan had a good handle on the situation.

Then over the weekend two athletes living inside the Tokyo bubble tested positive for the coronavirus, and on Sunday the South African Football Association announced that three members of its soccer delegation had tested positive, calling into question whether even the best health measures are enough protection from the virus.

The rise of the Delta variant has complicated Olympic planning, leaving many athletes afraid. Amid heightened concerns over COVID-19, the U.S. women’s gymnastics team has elected to stay in a hotel rather than board in Tokyo’s Olympic Village.

Adding to pandemic fear is extreme heat. This year’s games could be the hottest on record, leaving players vulnerable to sickness and injuries.

Locally, there've been people demonstrating in favor of cancelling the competition altogether, and it's clear at this point the fanfare is considerably less than previous years. And of course, there's the problem with divisive politics flooding into the proceedings, no thanks to athletes and instructors who're stunningly left-wing in their outlook, and at this point in time have brought down the quality of pastimes considerably. Japan themselves had a scandal when a former comedian hired to host the Olympics was discovered having made an insulting joke about the Holocaust nearly a quarter century ago. It's clear at this point hardly anyone is going to care about a fiasco in the making. It's too bad, of course, but let's not forget that so much liberal irresponsibility practically led to the situation, and now, the reap what they sow.

Labels: Africa, Asia, communications, Europe, Japan, Moonbattery, political corruption, United States