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Is it a sign of the Yoshihide Suga administration’s stubborn determination to “do whatever it takes to do the Tokyo Olympics?”
While the spread of the new coronavirus did not stop at all, the torch relay for the Tokyo Olympics began on March 25, 2021.
Under the slogan of the “Reconstruction Olympics”, the relay, which began in Fukushima prefecture, was flooded with spectators and became “dense”.
On the other hand, from the American television station, which is the biggest sponsor of the Olympics,
“Stop events like the Nazis spreading the crown.”
A harsh “crane voice” was emitted.
The voice of anger boils even on the net.
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How does the president of the IOC, Bach, see the risks of the torch relay?
The intention of the sponsoring company is also in the torch relay
In fact, there are circumstances when the torch relay cannot be stopped. This is because there is the intention of the company sponsoring the torch relay. The Mainichi Shimbun (March 26) “Intent of the sponsor, keep the schedule in the long term” reveals the situation behind the scenes.
“The International Olympic Committee (IOC) stipulates that the torch relay must be within 100 days. However, the Tokyo Games have 121 days. The 70th of the 2012 London Olympics and the Rio de Janeiro Olympics 2016. It will take a long time compared to the Olympic Games 95. The Organizing Committee focused on the three prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima, which were damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake, and negotiated with the IOC so that it could pass For all the prefectures, we considered it, but with the intention of the sponsor, we kept the schedule for 859 municipalities, which is approximately half of the 1741 municipalities nationwide, in a 121-day schedule. “
Apart from the Olympic Games sponsoring companies, there are also sponsoring companies that only have the torch relay. Since the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, the torch relay has also been sponsored and the number of flashy productions has increased with every step. At the Sydney 2000 Olympics, the torch was transmitted underwater, and at the Sochi 2014 Olympics, the torch was launched into space.
There are three ranks of torch relay sponsors for the Tokyo Olympics, with four companies leading the way: Coca-Cola Japan, Toyota Motor Corporation, Nippon Life Insurance Company and NTT. “Run with your color” (Coca-Cola), “Move Mirai! Take that step from your hometown” (Toyota), “Connect important ties” (Nippon Life), “CONNECTING WITH HOPE-Each person With themes like” Connecting the Light of Hope “(NTT), you are doing an eye-catching TV commercial. The three ranked sponsors are national companies, but below that, many local companies are listed in” Torch Relay Support “by prefecture.
And the runners recommended by the sponsor run at a considerable pace. It is very difficult to stop the torch relay while ignoring the intentions of these sponsors.
For the government and the Olympic Organizing Committee, the start of the torch relay is a sign of the determination to “play the Olympic Games anyway.” The Asahi Shimbun (March 26), “Government Officials Who Can No Longer Stop the Olympics,” reports:
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told reporters on March 25: ‘The torch relay is a valuable opportunity for the public to realize that the Games are approaching.’ Although there are some negative opinions about the event, a senior government official said: a prerequisite for holding the event. Once the torch relay starts, we can’t stop it anymore. “
That’s it.
The biggest sponsor of the US television station is “just like the Nazis.”
There are foreign media critical of how the torch relay should be. NBC, which has paid an enormous amount of television broadcasting rights to the IOC and is highly influential, posted on its homepage “Amid Covid fears, the Tokyo Olympics torch relay begins. It should be extinguished “(new Crown) in March. 25. In fear, the Tokyo Olympic torch relay will begin. The fire of the torch must go out), and published an opinion piece criticizing with a harsh tone =See photo below。
Op-ed on US NBC Home Page “Torch Relay Should Go Off” (March 25)
The author of the US NBC is Jules Boykoff, a scholar of sports politics in the United States. Having participated in the Olympics as a former professional footballer, he has published several books on the Olympics and politics. Boykov said in the article
“The Tokyo Olympics are said to be the ‘Construction Olympics’, indicating the reconstruction of Fukushima, but many people in this area knew that the reconstruction of Fukushima was delayed because resources flowed to Tokyo, where it was They held the Olympics. I ‘I’m blaming the Tokyo Olympics. “
He pointed to the suspicion of the “Reconstruction Olympics”.
“The biggest problem is the fear that the Olympic Games beginning with the torch relay could exacerbate the pandemic. It is difficult for all Japanese to finish vaccination for the Olympic Games. As announced, thousands of athletes, coaches and the The press are entering the country without vaccination, and Japanese public opinion is concerned. “
Saying.
Furthermore, the torch relay criticized the Nazis for the traditional Olympic ritual invented at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
“(Japan) runs the risk of sacrificing public health through the Olympic altar ritual initiated by the Nazis. The fire from the torch relay must be extinguished.”
I complained.
US television NBC TV also published an opinion piece on its home page that was severely denounced when Yoshiro Mori, the former Chairman of the Organizing Committee, made a statement about “discrimination against women.” The author was also Mr. Boykov. Immediately after that, the IOC, which had tolerated Mori’s comments, resorted to criticism, which eventually led to Yoshiro Mori’s retirement. What is the purpose of this NBC TV article and what kind of impact will it have?
(Kazuo Fukuda)
