Anti-Tokyo Olympics petition garners traction with over tens of thousands of signatures

An online petition, which was put out a couple of days ago to cancel the upcoming Tokyo Olympics amid a rapid COVID-19 surge in Japan, has attracted more than tens of thousands of signatures. The petition comes after several states in Japan, including Tokyo, have been put in a state of emergency, which is set to end on May 11 but could be extended further.

The Tokyo Olympics was originally scheduled for 2020. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic coming into play, the world’s biggest sporting competition had to be postponed for a year. The rescheduled Tokyo Games is now slated to begin on July 23 and continue until August 8. But with Japan's COVID crisis deepening, there is a huge question mark on the Games.

Kenji Utsunomiya, a lawyer by profession, started the petition for the safety of the citizens and got about 50,000 signatures in the first 24 hours after it was launched. The English headline of the petition reads, "Cancel the Tokyo Olympics to protect our lives."

The petition is aimed at International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach. The German is expected to visit Japan this month and also has tentative plans to attend the Olympic torch relay on May 17 in Hiroshima. According to reports, Bach might also face small anti-Olympics protests in Tokyo.

Tokyo Olympics organizers face public backlash

One of the reasons why the Tokyo Olympics is facing a backlash from the citizens is that the organizers have asked for 10000 medical staff for the Games, including 500 nurses. With the medical staff at near breaking point dealing with the surge in cases, many have termed the request as insensitive.

It has also been learnt that eight people working in the Olympic torch relay have tested positive for the deadly virus.

Despite the fact that the majority of the Japanese population want the Tokyo Olympics to be canceled or postponed, it is likely not going to happen.

The Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Tokyo Olympics organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto, and Bach have repeatedly stated that the Games will go on as scheduled.

With 15.4 billion dollars already spent on the Tokyo Olympics, the Games has become a face-saving exercise for Japan. The event is also critical for the IOC because the world body is set to pocket 73 per cent of its income from selling the television rights.