Tokyo 2020: Olympic public viewing events canceled in interest of public safety

The Tokyo Olympics is set to take place across Tokyo's 23 wards but a fresh wave of COVID-19 cases have led to the cancelation of planned public viewing events in many of those wards.

The capital remains under a state of emergency, with lockdown measures still in place. Much of the local population is opposed to the Olympics going ahead amidst fears of the Games turning into a super spreader event.

Local municipalities across the city have begun to cancel their live viewing events. Further requests have also been made to the metropolitan government to halt all activities that promote large scale public gatherings for the Olympics.

Olympics latest: Tokyo scraps public viewing plan in Yoyogi ParkFollow the Tokyo 2020 Olympics latest on Nikkei Asia's free blog.#Tokyo2020 #Olympicshttps://t.co/uUgatEYVLo

— Nikkei Asia (@NikkeiAsia) June 2, 2021

Typically, a public viewing would involve a large number of people gathering in front of a jumbo-sized screen inside a cordoned-off enclosure, much like a Fan Zone at the FIFA World Cup. Food and alcohol consumption go hand in hand with the occasion, under normal circumstances at least.

Clearly, under present circumstances, such an event would not be in the best interest of public safety. Japan has struggled to make significant headway in combatting the coronavirus, with a significant portion of the local population firmly against the Olympic Games going ahead.

At present, five of Tokyo’s 23 wards have canceled their planned public viewings, with a further 12 reconsidering whether to go ahead or not. Five remain committed to hosting the viewings as planned while Edo ward never intended to hold one to begin with.

#Tokyo2020: Another municipality in Japan — Chofu City, Tokyo — cancelled public viewing events to reduce the risk of transmission of #covid19 https://t.co/eEj8KpXUKm

— Thoton Akimoto (@thoton9) June 10, 2021

Additionally, some municipal governments are calling for a blanket closure of all public viewing sites for the duration of the Games. As of now, a majority of the 23 wards are yet to confirm their position on the issue and, on paper at least, will be going ahead with their events as planned.

Adding further complication to the dilemma, sponsorship payments have already been made to the organizers of these public viewing events. The financial burden of these cancelations would seemingly fall at the feet of the Japanese government and the organizing committee.

Overseas fans have already been banned from attending the Games and a decision on whether or not to allow local spectators into the stadiums is expected by the end of June.

Tokyo 2020 organizers delay decision on local spectators until June https://t.co/xCUrLhat3p

— The Japan Times (@japantimes) April 28, 2021

Tokyo's mayor Yuriko Koike, remains committed to hosting a safe and secure Olympics. As reported by NHK, she aims to open a dialog with all stakeholders in an attempt to find a mutually beneficial solution to the dilemma.

The International Olympic Committee, together with the Japanese government, is insistent on the Games kicking off with the opening ceremony on July 23. However, the manner in which they will be received and celebrated remains unclear.