Olympic Opening Ceremony Diminished Due to COVID-19

A panoramic view of the National Stadium in Shinjuku, Tokyo, where the Tokyo Olympic opening ceremony will be held on the 21st. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] The opening ceremony held on the day of the Olympic opening is one of the biggest spectacles that cannot be missed at the Olympics. It offers a chance to see world leaders and famous athletes competing in the games at a glance, as well as enjoy the spectacular performances prepared by the host country. With the eyes and ears of the world focused, the host country invests a huge budget with pride to prepare the event. However, it seems appropriate to set aside those expectations for a moment at this Tokyo Olympic opening ceremony, which will be held at 8 p.m. on the 23rd.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympic opening ceremony is expected to be more modest than ever in the 120-year history of the modern Olympics due to the COVID-19 pandemic. First of all, most of the major world leaders will not attend the opening ceremony. So far, the only high-level officials who have expressed their intention to attend are French President Emmanuel Macron and Mongolian Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene. In the United States, First Lady Jill Biden will attend instead of President Joe Biden. Even key Japanese figures and companies, including former Prime Minister Abe, who played a leading role in securing the Tokyo Olympics, and official sponsor Toyota Motor Corporation, have postponed their attendance at the opening ceremony. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, more than 80 leaders, including then U.S. President George W. Bush and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, attended.

The capacity of the National Stadium in Shinjuku, Tokyo, where the opening ceremony is held, is 68,000. Normally, revenue is generated from tickets for the opening ceremony, but this time it will be held without spectators. Apart from the athletes, only about 950 officials and dignitaries from various countries will enter the stadium. Approximately 800 will attend from abroad and 150 domestically. Recently, as dozens of athletes and officials have been infected with COVID-19, the number of participants may decrease further.

The size of the athlete delegations entering the ceremony has also been drastically reduced. The South Korean delegation consists of 232 athletes and 122 officials, coaches, and support staff, totaling 354 people. Considering safety due to the spread of COVID-19, only about 6 officials and 50 athletes plan to attend the opening ceremony. The United States will have about 230 attendees out of its 613-member delegation. China (777 members) and Japan (582 members), which have assembled their largest-ever delegations, will also send only some representatives. As a result, the athlete parade, which usually takes more than two hours, is expected to be more concise.

At least the spotlight is on the final torchbearer, the highlight of the opening ceremony. Currently, legendary female wrestler Saori Yoshida and male judo representative Tadahiro Nomura are being mentioned. Both hold three Olympic gold medals each. Additionally, there is speculation about the possible appearance of a surprise figure conveying messages of overcoming the devastation of the Great East Japan Earthquake at this opening ceremony.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.