Japan Press Weekly

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2021 June 2 - 8 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Effectiveness of Tokyo Games playbook doubtful

Amid the pandemic, the Suga government has claimed that the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held in a safe and secure manner. A playbook for the Tokyo Games sets out anti-coronavirus measures in detail and calls for precise observance by Olympic athletes from across the world. However, there are strong doubts whether these rules will be observed and are actually workable.

The playbook indicates that COVID-19 Liaison Officers (CLOs) will play a “key role” in managing compliance with and the effectiveness of the playbook, and requires each nation’s Olympic/Paralympic committees to appoint their CLOs.

The second edition of the playbook which was released in April states that CLOs will “soon be appointed”.

Regarding the CLO’s roles and responsibilities, a press release issued following the publication of the second version of the playbook states that the CLO “is responsible for monitoring the implementation of all COVID-19 countermeasures” and “ensures that the members of their organization act in accordance with and follow their respective activity plans.” The press release also states that CLOs will receive extensive training in order to enable them to play a key role throughout the Games.

Akahata on May 25 sent to the Tokyo Games organizing committee an inquiry about the number of CLOs so far appointed by NOCs and NPCs across the globe, but has received no response from the organizing committee.

In the inquiry, Akahata also posed questions about the “extensive training”, such as who will provide the training, where and how long the training will be held, and whether CLOs will receive the training before or after coming to Japan. However, the organizing committee has yet responded.

Past related article:
> Anti-COVID measures at Australian Open and Tokyo Olympics [February 25, 2021]