Reality or announcement effect? The Japanese National Olympic Committee chose to celebrate Olympic Day, Tuesday June 23, by sending the rest of the planet a message of hope about the organization of the Tokyo Games during the summer of 2021.
The message in question took the form of a very official letter. It is signed by Yasuhiro Yamashita, the president of the Olympic committee, a legendary former judoka and an eminently respected figure in the sports movement.
The former heavyweight is not really known for his eloquence and his taste for communication. His approach is all the more interesting. In essence, Yasuhiro Yamashita explains in his letter sent to all the national Olympic committees that Japan is gradually returning to the normal course of its sporting life.
« We are slowly taking a step towards resuming our social life, ensuring that COVID-19 prevention measures are compatible with our daily activities”, writes Yasuhiro Yamashita. The letter is also signed by Morinari Watanabe, the president of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and member of the IOC.
Both men want to be precise. They explain that the national training center in Tokyo reopened its doors on May 27. They point out that the professional baseball season has already been able to resume behind closed doors. It will be followed next month by the resumption of the J-League, the professional football league.
« The Japanese sports community is also moving, slowly but firmly, towards recovery, while assessing the COVID-19 situation with great caution. continues the message. Finally, Yasuhiro Yamashita and Morinari Watanabe assure that the national Olympic committee and the organizing committee of the Tokyo 2020 Games “ advance step by step in the preparation” of the Olympic event in 2021.
In itself, there is nothing shocking about the statement. Yasuhiro Yamashita and Morinari Watanabe don't say anything the rest of the world didn't already know. But their approach suggests a desire on the part of the Japanese to be reassuring, at a time when the Tokyo Games are emerging as a major theme in the campaign for the post of governor of the capital.
For the first time since the decision to postpone the Games, the Japanese Olympic movement is taking part in the debate. He addresses his peers all over the planet. Anything but trivial.
Coincidence or not, the approach initiated by Yasuhiro Yamashita comes the day after important news. According to Kyodo News, the organizers of the Games would have succeeded in securing one of the major sites on the Olympic card, the athletes' village, for next year.
The Japanese agency cites an anonymous source “ close to promoters”, according to which the housing in the village would be delivered to their future owners with a one-year delay, from March 2023.
Mitsui Fudosan, one of the companies involved in the construction and marketing of the Harumi Flag complex, where 940 units have already been sold, has reportedly informed buyers that they will be able to move in about a year later than the original date.
At this stage of the discussions, the IOC and the organizing committee are sticking to a cautious version. They both recognize that the village remains one of the priority subjects in the plan to postpone the Games. But both parties still refuse to say that the issue has now been resolved. Today it seems that it is very close.
