Fun Without Fans

It's an Olympic year, again! Now that we are a little over a year into the COVID-19 pandemic and into what I am dubbing "the fourth quarter of covid," we're beginning to see sporting venues open themselves up to fans around the world. This loosening of restrictions is taking place across the globe, including in some U.S. states.  

Massive shoutout to Gibraltar for vaccinating their entire adult population and holding international boxing events. Alexander Povetkin vs. Dillian Whyte (March 27, 2021) … I don't know much about prize fights, but good luck to these guys!

After talks between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Tokyo 2020 organizers, it was decided fans from overseas would be banned from attending this year's games. This ban means roughly 900,000 tickets (including for the Paralympic Games) will need to be refunded to would-be attendees from around the world. Adding insult to injury, the IOC and 2020 organizers are not covering the costs of hotel booking cancellations. 

The decision not to include fans in this year's Olympic Games will surely be a hit to Tokyo's economy. In addition to the incidental losses in the hotel and booking industry. Olympic hosts often pour billions into infrastructure improvement before their host date, relying on a boom in tourism surrounding the games to recoup their losses. In Japan's case, the latest official cost of the games is $15.4 billion, up 22% from last year due to the cost of postponing the event. 

Expanding costs are only one of the problems facing the Games this year, as the traditional run of the Olympic flame is seeing participants drop left, right, and centre over fears of crowds gathering and spreading the virus further throughout the community. By blocking out the world (even with good reason), Japan will need to recuperate expenses elsewhere. In a celebration of an athleticism that is meant to unite the world, is it even worth moving forward at this point? 

Let us know what you think down below.

For more information about the financial and social impact of hosting the Olympics, check out Jason O'hara's documentary State of Exception.