Tokyo minus four: Oh what, no feeling?

COVID-19 Map for Japan, 07/18 (Sunday):#Covid19JP #新型コロナウイルス pic.twitter.com/ERIPTPes4j

— COVID-19 Watch Japan (@JapanCovid) July 18, 2021

Toyota, the Worldwide Mobility Partner of the Olympic Games^[1], has decided not to run any Games-related advertising on Japanese TV during Tokyo 2020-in-2021. The reputation of the Games has, it seems, become so toxic in the host nation that it has become a PR liability with the corporation’s CEO Aiko Toyoda declining to attend Friday night’s opening ceremony. ^[2]

Tokyo reported 727 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, the first time in five days that number has dropped below one thousand. ^[3]

And with the number of COVID cases and isolations rising inside the Olympic village, the chair of the IOC’s COVID advisory panel,, Dr Brian McCloskey, said  "What we are seeing is what we expected to see, essentially"^[4]

Thomas Bach has decided not to carry the Olympic Torch this week. It is currently doing an “off-street” relay around Japan.^[5] Why is the replay happening at all? If we need an Opening Ceremony (as apparently we do) then this would have been a great chance to do a direct virtual transfer of the flame from Olympia to the torch in the main stadium.

Have I started being too gloomy too soon? On Wednesday night we’ll have the traditional two-days-before-opening first matches of the womens soccer. I can’t wait.

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