(CNN) – This week, billions of people were supposed to be tuning into the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.
But like thousands of other events around the world, the Olympics fell victim to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead of completely canceling the games, officials have postponed them to 2021.
The world sporting event could be delayed by a year, but there is a lot going on behind the scenes right now.
The International Olympic Committee announced in a statement last week that the venues and competition schedule for the 2021 games have been confirmed. This includes the 43 venues for competition, the Main Press Center, the Broadcast Center and the iconic Olympic Village.
IOC President Thomas Bach called the Olympic Village “the heart of the Olympic Games” and said he is delighted that athletes can participate in this unique experience next year.
“Athletes from around the world will live together under one roof in the Olympic Village, sharing meals together, celebrating together, discussing together and forming these unique Olympic communities,” Bach said in the statement.
The competition schedule will also remain the same, with only a few adjustments due to operational reasons. Although the locations and times are confirmed, Bach said there is still a long way to go.
“With just one year to go, a gigantic task still awaits us,” Bach said. “With our Japanese partners and friends, we agree that we need to tailor the planning for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics to the requirements of the global crisis, while maintaining the unique spirit and message that defines our mission.”
Tokyo Faces New Rise in Covid-19 Infections
Without games this year, Japan will lose an additional 10 million visitors, and that doesn’t include the 31 million visitors who normally visit the country each year.
To make up for the lack of tourists, the Japanese government has just launched a new travel initiative to encourage domestic travel. The program, Go to Travel, started on July 22 and offers government grants for overnight and overnight trips.
“The count has exceeded 100 for 15 days in a row,” the report says.
As a result, last week the government announced that it would withdraw travel to Tokyo from the Go to Travel program, noting that Tokyo residents, who were asked to stay home, would also be excluded.
But plans by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s administration to continue the “Go To” tourism campaign despite this increase have been greeted with fear by some local governors who fear that the travel promotion may spread the coronavirus infection to women. large cities to less infected rural areas. zones
However, Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu said at a press conference on July 17 that there has been a major downturn in the Japanese domestic economy due to government requests for people to stay home.
“We need to prevent the spread of the infection thoroughly, but at the same time, we need to recover, revive the economy, that is extremely important,” said Toshimitsu.
U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum
Although the Olympics may not be happening, there are a few ways to appreciate the skill and dedication of the athletes who have competed in them.
The museum will feature different media and artifacts from US Olympic athletes Visitors will begin their journey on top of the museum and progress through 12 interactive galleries, according to the website.
There is also radio frequency (RFID) technology that is used throughout the museum. Guests receive a tag and can select which sports they want to focus on for the trip, according to Peter Maiurro, director of communications and business affairs for the museum.
“Powered by RFID technology, guests can customize their sports preferences and accessibility needs for a tour that is uniquely theirs,” said Maiurro. “The athletes on the US team participated and were consulted throughout the project to achieve our goal of authentic experience and inclusive design.”
The museum was originally supposed to open in May, but had to be postponed due to the pandemic.
“As much as we wanted to share the incredible stories of Team USA athletes and the Olympic and Paralympic movements with guests from around the world, we needed to delay the opening to ensure that we opened safely for our team and for all. visitors, “said Maiurro.
There are additional security measures to create a safe environment for guests during the pandemic. The museum will use programmed tickets to control crowd levels and will require masks throughout the museum, among other security measures.
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