Some sports facilities are both a point of civic pride and a financial burden on taxpayers. The COVID-19 pandemic will further impact the way these facilities are constructed and managed.
For athletes, COVID-19 means more than cancelled competitions. Having their athletic goals put on hold and their training routines disrupted can take a toll on athletes’ mental health.
An athlete who competed in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics says when the rescheduled Olympics take place, the Games can help rebuild societies in a humanitarian way through the spirit of Olympism.
The decision to reschedule the Olympic and Paralympic Games was the right move. But how should we decide whether and when the Games should now be held?
Legally, the Tokyo organisers are protected from events that are out of their control. And it’s unlikely broadcasters and sponsors would press legal claims during a global pandemic.
If the IOC does postpone the games, it will have to deal with consequences such as the impact on athletes, broadcasting obligations, insurance pay-outs and its brand reputation.
While sporting events around the world have put their seasons on pause, the International Olympic Committee has refused to cancel the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. For athletes, the delay is a dilemma.
As the new coronavirus has spread around the world, sporting matches and events have been staged behind closed doors, postponed and increasingly cancelled outright.
The marathons in next year’s Tokyo Olympics have been moved to Sapporo, because of concerns around Tokyo’s extreme heat. The move, though controversial, will reduce risks to the athletes’ health.
Athletes and spectators are likely to encounter dangerously hot temperatures when Tokyo hosts the 2020 Olympic games. With two years to go, there’s still time to take protective measures.
Should athletes who dream of making it to the Olympics start their journey as young children? Research shows that specializing in a specific sport at a young age is not the best approach.
Instead of showcasing a rising global power with a booming economy, the 2014 Games put a spotlight on Brazil’s most serious economic recession since the 1930s, along with a host of social problems.
Clinician Scientist, Canada Research Chair in Injury Prevention and Physical Activity for Health, Sport Medicine Physician, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University