Tokyo: After months of opposition, some in Japan are warm for the pandemic-hit Olympics, with fans challenging authority to entertain athletes on public roads and rush to take merchandise.
It doesn’t hurt that Japanese athletes have enjoyed gold fever in the first four days of the match, winning in sports starting from Judo to Skateboard.
Fans are prohibited from almost all events than fear of viruses, and are asked to stay away from competition on public roads.
But they still appeared, determined to a glimpse of the Olympic action.
“If you see these athletes running in front of you, you can’t help them,” said Hirochika Takeda 42-year-old, who came out of his apartment to see the triathlon of the woman who passed in the rain.
“I have a question about holding an Olympics until the opening ceremony,” said IT professionals.
“But as soon as exercise starts, I start feeling that maybe this is a good thing.” The game was opened on Friday, with tens of thousands of athletes, officials and media arrived in Japan from all over the world.
Because of the virus, the Olympics are undergoing under emergencies in Tokyo which means fans are prohibited from the venue and there is a high anxiety about increasing infection.
But when the opening ceremony rolled on Friday, thousands of people crowded around the Olympic stadium to soak in the atmosphere and see fireworks from outside, far exceeding a group of anti-game protesters.
And those who are at home are both interested in, with watch figures showing more than 50 percent of households in Tokyo watch this ceremony stay on TV.
There is also a surge in demand for Tokyo 2020 Trinkets, according to the owner and organizer.
“The shops have been busy explosively,” said Hikari Iinuma, from the Tokyo 2020 license department.
Shops are set specifically for selling Tokyo Olympic items that have been turned off because the lack of customers are now reopened, he said.
“This trend is very clear in Tokyo,” added Iinuma, who refused to give numbers on sales, but said popular items include T-shirts, mugs, and towels.
Maybe there is no coincidence that the change of liver coincides with the victory line for home athletes.
Nine Japanese gold medalists until Tuesday afternoon including 13-year-old Skateboarder Momiji Nishiya, Judokas HiFumi’s brothers and women and Tennis Pair Mizutani and Mima Ito Jun Mizutani and Mima.
Yuji Ishizaka, a sports sociologist at Nara’s female university, said post-victory comments from Japanese athletes might help soften the opposition with the game.
“Instead of raw emotional bursts, they …
voiced their appreciation for this opportunity,” he told AFP.
“What we see is the enthusiasm detained,” Ishizaka said.
Liver changes are not universal, and many people are still worried about the risk of viruses.
A poll in the Nikkei newspaper published Monday found 31 percent still believed that the game should be postponed or canceled, although almost 70 percent supported hold it in several forms.
“I feel people forget Coronavirus,” Chintan Makwana said, an Indian from Tokyo said he was not ruled out by many people in his environment watching the event.
“For those of us who live here, it’s scary,” said software engineer.
On Tuesday, Tokyo reported a record of 2,848 cases of new daily viruses.
This figure can include cases that are not reported during a long weekend, but the infection has increased.
In the Odaiba Tokyo area, hundreds of people opposed the authority and rain to entertain competitors in the women’s triathlon on Tuesday.
Almost all wear masks and limit themselves to clapping, and those who shout are standing away from the others.
“Ganbatte, Ganbattte (left, left),” Atsuko Kawata cheered, a retired neighborhood because the athletes ran past.
“I don’t know anything about this sport, but I’m happy to see them.
I will brag about this to my children,” he added cheerfully.
“Everything is said about the Olympics, but I want to support this athlete.”
‘Cannot help but entertain’: some in Japan warm to the Olympics
