By Yeon Ji Oh, Y11
The Olympic games have become the world’s prominent sporting competition. With more than 200 countries participating in over 400 events, it is where people around the world unite all together. The games promote unity and peace. They are held every 4 years, and since 1994 the Summer and Winter Olympic Games have been held separately and alternating every two years.
The 2020 Olympic games that were to be held in Tokyo, but have been postponed to the 23rd of June 2021 due to COVID-19. This decision was taken in order to “safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community” as stated by the organisers of Tokyo 2020 and the IOC (International Olympic Committee) president, Thomas Bach. Japan faces the challenge of holding the Olympics this summer without causing any further outbreaks. The question remains – “should the Olympics be boycotted?”
It is extremely rare for the Olympics to be cancelled or delayed. There have only been 6 significant occasions where the Olympics were cancelled or postponed, all due to war and political turmoil. For instance, in 1936 the Summer Olympics in Germany were boycotted due to Nazi Germany’s human abuse and propaganda. Additionally, in 1980, the Summer Olympics in Moscow, Russia, were boycotted due to the invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union. The full list consists of:
1. 1916 Summer Olympics / Berlin, Germany – World War I
2. 1940 Summer Olympics / Tokyo, Japan and Helsinki, Finland – World War II
3. 1940 Winter Olympics / Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany – World War II
4. 1944 Summer Olympics / London, United Kingdom – Cold War
5. 1944 Winter Olympics / Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy – Cold War
6. 2020 Summer Olympics / Tokyo, Japan – Pandemic
Until now, the Olympics games have only been boycotted for political reasons. The current Coronavirus pandemic marks the first time the competition has ever been postponed temporarily for a reason other than war. In consequence, could the Olympics 2021 be boycotted because of sanitary reasons?
After the discovery of the COVID vaccine, there has been a strand of hope for matters getting better. However, the virus has not been defeated yet and recently, the outbreak of variants have made it difficult to proceed with big events such as the Olympic Games. It must be a huge disappointment for athletes who have trained for years, especially after the 1 year postponement.
Coming back to the primary question on whether the Olympics should be boycotted, there is a need to examine Olympism – the philosophy of Olympic Games. Olympism seeks to ensure sustainability, non-discrimination, humanism, universality and solidarity. Therefore according to the Olympic spirit, it isn’t adequate nor relevant to “boycott” the Olympics. What can be hoped is that discovery of new vaccines for the variants and the adoption of measures soon permit the opening of the Olympics with no restraint. The Games do not simply bring athletes together but also viewers together; it is a moment shared by millions which makes it so special. Just as Mattie J.T Stepanek said, “unity is strength…when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved”; unity is needed in order to build a better and brighter future. The Olympics is one way we can all unite.
