From the streets of Tokyo: History in the making not just for athletes, but everyone involved with the Olympics

A few months before the Summer Olympics, organizers published a set of rules in a book called 'Tokyo 2020 Playbooks'. This contains guidelines for every stakeholder in the Games, including the press.

While it is helpful to have information on some aspects like traveling, testing, wearing a mask, social distancing, and contact tracing, the irksome part is the minimization of the interaction time with the athletes..

Even after completing three days of hard quarantine and staying in a 14-day bubble, journalists will have limited interaction with the athletes. It is a known fact that the Games will be different with lots of restrictions and it is certainly living up to that reputation. 5000 journalists are expected to arrive in Tokyo over the course of the event.

How are the media personnel in Tokyo dealing with the new rules for the Summer Olympics?

Strict social distancing at every venue of the Games

Covering his first Olympics, fellow journalist Dan Palmer said:

"It's a shame that I'm not getting the usual experience of everyone coming together and people from different countries meeting each other. But the Games will be historic and no other Olympics will be like Tokyo 2020. I can proudly say i was here at the ground for several years and decades when the top sporting event happened in Tokyo."

The main press centre is expected to be home of 5000 media person

Millions of Japanese residents are opposing the Olympics and it is affecting the availability of manpower at the Games. Only a limited number of volunteers are available this time and it can negatively affect the execution of the Tokyo Olympics.

Things like lack of information and no app or website to book official taxis are making life more difficult than it already is for the media personnel. Unless things improve quickly, the lack of infrastructure can create more mayhem during the Games, where covering the events will be a top priority for everyone.

Questions need to be asked from a designated area with no mic touching

All media personnel are only allowed to stay in official media hotels. It has taken a toll on everyone's budget. Journalists can only travel via officially approved bus or taxi services.

Things didn't go well for Wadad Hachichou, a female photographer from Qatar, who arrived at Narita Tokyo Airport on July 6th. She said:

"There was confusion on the quarnatine days. We were not sure whether it will be 14 days or less. I don't want to miss the Olympics so I came here earlier. I was surprised when there was no official transport arranged. I was forced to book a private taxi and had to pay a hefty 270 US Dollars for the ride to the hotel."

Grace Lee, a journalists tweets a huge thread with frustation at the Games

Rio 2016 vs Tokyo 2020

The first Olympics on the South American soil at Rio De Janerio was like a carnival. Not only did athletes love it, but the media also had a gala time.

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Comparing the two editions (Rio vs Tokyo), sports journalist Joao Gabriel Da Silva of Brazil said:

"Covering the Olympics in my city was a dream come true. I enjoyed every bit of the Rio Olympics but here we cannot go anywhere unless it is a part of our approved activity plan. It's a complete U-turn compared to the Rio Games. We are staying in the hotel, cannot go out on the streets and talk to people. It's a weird experience and I'm going to miss lots of interesting stories of the streets."

However, all said and done, with less than 7 days to go until the Tokyo Olympics, one can’t help but get excited for the Summer Games. The general feeling is that history is in the making, even in the way the Olympic Games are reported.

Let’s just hope we do not live to regret this history.