I wish countries had the balls to boycott the summer Olympics, as there are more important things going on now, the pandemic is far from over. Instead, the only news about boycotting is about the Beijing Olympics 2022, cause China.

Irresponsible, setting the wrong example with over 12 million active cases around the world. But politics.

I think they'd had their own athletes and their supporters, aka a big chunk of the population, against them if they so much as tried to do so in many cases.

Also, have a look at the Tour de France and the millions of supporters along the roads, especially in the mountains. This will be a much bigger and worse cluster than these Olympics ever could be considering no supporters at all are allowed into the stadiums.

Olympics have always been money pits. It was in the Barcelona Olympics of '92 that changed, and one of the first times a host got their money back from tourism revenues. Now countries bids fight to the death, bribing the IOC to get selected.

Shame covid happened, but the damn Olympics would have also delayed my Japanese trip by one year due to the hike of prices that come with it. They need their money back ;)

Oww, okay I get it. That’s fair. I’m with you on the beyond giving a crap, like I said, I was confused.

I hardly ever watch the Olympics so I don't think it will be different this time around.

France is back to exponential growth atm, already happening. Not as bad as Spain yet though.

There is a lot more travel with the Olympics though, but doesn't really matter anymore. The variants seem to be reaching everywhere already anyway. No audience helps, and sucks (just do summer and winter in 2022, double Olympic year) but there is still the huge support crew including reporters and tv crews from all over the world.

The Opening Ceremony will take place this Friday July 23rd in Tokyo, Japan at the newly built Olympic Stadium.

Events will begin earlier in the week starting with Softball and Soccer.

Meanwhile
https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/2-athletes-in-olympic-village-test-positive-covid-19-1.6107312

https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/olympics-coronavirus-pandemic-07-19-21/h_c1db7c8b3e6802cc58123ae5dcabfeb5
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee has confirmed that an alternate on the women’s artistic gymnastics team tested positive for Covid-19.

Japan is at +48% week over week, close to 4,000 new cases yesterday, Tokyo is under a state of emergency.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-57760883
Tokyo Olympics: Spectators largely barred as Covid emergency declared

There has been widespread opposition to the Games in Japan, with calls for them to be postponed or cancelled.

After meeting government officials, Tokyo 2020 President Seiko Hashimoto said: "It is regrettable that we are delivering the Games in a very limited format, facing the spread of coronavirus infections.

"I am sorry to those who purchased tickets and everyone in local areas."

Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike said that holding Olympic events without spectators was "heart-breaking" for those who wanted to attend. It was not immediately clear if refunds will be made available to some or all ticketholders.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/japan-olympics-toyota-tv-ads-1.6108059

Toyota scraps all Olympic-related TV ads in Japan amid COVID-19 outbreak

Toyota won't be airing any Olympic-themed advertisements on Japanese television during the Tokyo Games, despite being one of the International Olympic Committee's top corporate sponsors.

The extraordinary decision by the country's top automaker underlines how polarizing the Games have become in Japan as COVID-19 infections rise ahead of Friday's opening ceremony.

Toyota Motor Corp. signed on as a worldwide Olympic sponsor in 2015, in an eight-year deal reportedly worth nearly $1 billion US, becoming the first car company to join the IOC's top-tier marketing program.

One of the more lighthearted stores to emerge early from the Olympic festivities concerns the accommodations for the athletes in the Olympic Village. Apparently the beds that they are sleeping on are made of cardboard. Many have speculated that this was done on purpose as a way to deter the athletes from having sex on the beds, as the weight of 2 people bouncing up and down should break the cardboard frame.

The Olympic Village usually has a reputation for a lot of sexual hookups between athletes which is why the organizer provides many condoms.

Some athletes have debunked the rumor already, claiming that the cardboard beds are pretty darn sturdy. Maybe some have already had a chance to test it out XD.

In any case, I think that providing cardboard beds is a pretty bad look for Tokyo. Even if they are based on advanced techniques and are sturdier than they appear it still feels like a cheap way to accommodate some of the most accomplished athletes in the world. It might be good technology for future disaster responses or providing bed for displaced people if the beds are cost-effective enough though.