How the World's Biggest Party Is Going Antisocial
The Covid Olympics in Tokyo will be a major test of more than athletic ability.
This year, hugs are out. Above: Jessica Ennis is congratulated for her gold in women’s heptathlon in London in 2012.
Photographer: Ezra Shaw/Getty
Welcome to the Olympic Games, Covid edition. Hugs, high-fives and handshakes are unnecessary forms of contact. Cheering should be avoided, as should singing and shouting. And that’s even if anyone’s there to watch, since international visitors won’t be allowed in Japan and it’s unclear how many local people can go. For athletes and others who get in, remember to keep your distance — two meters, unless on the field of play.
The alternating Summer and Winter Games are the world’s biggest biennial party. Sure, they’re sporting events in celebration of humankind’s never-ending quest to be faster, higher and stronger. But at their core, the Olympics are a carnival of fitness and skill, dedication and determination. It’s a fundamentally social event where the most valuable social capital is a gold medal around your neck.
This year is different. It will be antisocial, antibacterial, and quite probably anticlimactic. While vaccines are being rolled out globally, the Covid-19 pandemic still continues — including in Tokyo, where the Japanese government has recommended extending a state of emergency by another fortnight to help prevent a fresh wave of infections.