15 minute read
Tokyo 2020
Philip Barker, HistorianPlaybooks, masks,lashings of hand sanitiser and the campaign to The insidethegames.biz team recount their experiences of Tokyo 2020 #FREEPHIL
Philip Barker
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Historian
Tokyo 2020 was always going to be a Games like no other. For the first time, essential kit for an Olympics included face masks, hand gel, an armful of vaccination certificates and a copy of the Olympic “playbook”.
This was produced for Games stakeholders, including athletes, officials, broadcast rightsholders and other media.
“Everybody in the Olympic Movement is equal,” IOC President Thomas Bach had claimed.
Yet the ostensibly simple playbook hid many caveats and variations. Three days restricted to the hotel after arrival was the prescribed norm, followed by 11 days when agreed activities could be undertaken, provided only the dedicated official transport was used.
Regulations carried a sting in the tail when it was revealed that someone on my flight had returned a positive COVID test. I was among those in a seat nearby who was identified as a close contact.
Happily, insidethegames colleague Dan Palmer, sitting a few rows further back, was not identified in the same way.
A terse email from the Japanese medical authorities stated: “We announce that you had close contact with a COVID patient on flight NH212 on July 13.
“So, you have to be in quarantine for two weeks. And even if you get a negative result, still you have to be in quarantine for two weeks as a close contact.”
The playbook had promised that “a decision on applicable measures will be made on a case-by-case basis and will take into consideration the likelihood of you spreading the virus”.
It came as something of a surprise when Tokyo 2020 President Seiko Hashimoto, questioned by insidethegames colleagues, claimed that her organisation had provided food for those in isolation.
How she came by this information remains
a mystery, for Tokyo 2020 had made no contact with me at all.
An Olympian in both Summer and Winter Games, Hashimoto was plucked from the world of politics to lead the Organising Committee and it seemed as though some other agenda was at play.
A Hungarian journalist and a television crew from BBC Scotland were among those to have the same experience as me.
They also heard the “sound of silence” from an Organising Committee which claimed not to have contact details for those locked in their hotels.
It had perhaps escaped its notice that every member of the media had submitted details of their accommodation, and an email address and phone number, before arriving.
Officially sanctioned hotels were initially unwilling to deliver breakfast to the room, even in such unusual circumstances. The playbook had promised that three meals a day would be provided.
Spirits were maintained by the kindness of fellow journalists, a food package from the British Olympic Association and others.
A social media campaign and the hashtag #FreePhil attracted thousands of messages of support from fellow Olympic travellers across the world.
My story suddenly became news in its own right - not something that any journalist really relishes.
What followed was a whirlwind of interviews. There was CNN and I was translated into Arabic for Al Araby. German television station ARD and media in Norway and Brazil also wanted to chat, and I spoke to The Times in London. All this was conducted from the confines of the hotel.
When the time finally came to report on the Games in person, it was every bit as good as hoped.
As ever, it was impossible to witness everything. But images of Lisa Carrington’s supremacy in a canoe, the excitement of mixed triathlon, the exuberance of skateboarding and Teddy Riner’s inspiration of the French judo team in the historic Nippon Budokan remain etched in the mind.
That so many medals eluded the “usual subjects” made these highly unusual Games even more memorable.
Duncan Mackay
Editor-in-Chief
Some of my best Olympic memories have come not from being in a stadium or at a venue, but just being in the city at the time it is hosting the Games. Of the people I have met, the experiences I have enjoyed, the places I have visited.
Having been a regular visitor for 30 years now, I was excited to see how Tokyo the city would embrace the Olympics. From my trips there, particularly over the last decade, I had no doubt it was going to be one of the best Games I had ever attended.
In the end, it was certainly unique, but for me a largely soulless event. One of the most exciting things normally about attending the Olympics is the feeling that you are at an event that is the centre of global attention. But if you were in the Japanese capital, you could be forgiven for wondering if you had come to the right place.
There was hardly any city dressing and, driving in on the official media bus in the morning, Japanese commuters appeared to be going about their normal business unaware this major worldwide event was taking place in their city - hardly surprising as they were not allowed to attend any events.
The Main Press Centre, normally a massive melting pot of different nationalities and languages as journalists coped with varying deadlines, was a much more sedate affair as it was rarely ever more than half-full.
There were glimpses, though, of what Tokyo 2020 could have been like. Queuing at security one day to get into the Olympic Stadium, an enthusiastic Japanese mother with her young daughter, both dressed in kimonos, excitedly leaned over the barriers and asked me to mark on a map where I was from and have a picture taken with me. It was a reminder of how great Tokyo 2020 could have been.
Liam Morgan
Chief Senior Reporter
A prominent view among those of us who headed out to Tokyo for the Olympic Games was getting there would be the toughest challenge.
The months and weeks leading up to the Games were littered with tests and trepidation, stress and scare stories of what the situation would be like when we arrived.
As a COVID-19 liaison officer, I had the added frustration of dealing with deadlines that proved to be much more pliable than first thought, of sending dozens of emails to a nameless address with little hope of a reply and of activity plans that did not get approved as some of our team stepped onto their flight.
There were threats from the Japanese organisers, too, that we would be watched like hawks, and we would be named and shamed if we were caught breaching the COVID-19 rules in place at the Games.
Yes, there were issues, as detailed by my colleague Philip Barker on these pages, but our pre-Olympic fears, by and large, proved to be wide of the mark - as did suggestions we would not be welcome. The reality could not have been further from the truth.
The first three days in quarantine in a Tokyo hotel, not known for their generous dimensions, were difficult. The rest of the opening fortnight, where the restrictions were tighter, was tricky from a journalistic point of view as they were not conducive to the newsgathering missions we would typically embark on at the Games.
But even as we acclimatised to our strange, surreal surroundings, you could not escape the fact we were fortunate to be able to witness an Olympics like never before as millions denied the chance of attending were shut out.
And that, sadly, will be the prevailing image of Tokyo 2020: eyes that should have been gazing in awe at the athletes from venues across the Japanese capital instead being forced to watch from afar.
It is a shame politics got in the way. The Japanese people deserved so much better.
Dan Palmer
Magazine Editor
Much of the talk before Tokyo was about large numbers of Japanese people who supposedly didn’t want us. Anyone who hoped the Olympics would be cancelled because of COVID-19 was perfectly entitled to have that opinion, and it was hard to argue against those who seemed genuinely scared.
A social media post I made before departure was immediately shared by an anti-Tokyo 2020 account, so I didn’t know what reception awaited us.
To be honest, I should have known better. Having visited Japan before, I knew it was one of the friendliest places on earth.
Local people and volunteers could not have been more welcoming.
There was the occasional breakdown in communication - of course there was - but they were always keen to help. I was put at ease when negotiating the myriad of COVID-19 checkpoints, even though my OCHA app which was a prerequisite for entry did not work correctly.
When people think of volunteering, they likely imagine sitting trackside as the 100 metres final rushes by. But it’s usually a lot less glamorous, as those clutching clipboards at bus stops at 2am will attest.
Local opposition was never conveyed to us directly. However, the noisy protests outside the Opening Ceremony served as a reminder.
With no fans allowed, I felt guilty to experience fantastic sport when hardworking locals were absent. The crowds peering into venues, braving the searing heat, proved that many were desperate to be involved.
From a moving bus, I saw a father and his young son waving huge Olympic flags. Clearly, the little lad was enthused by the Games but he wouldn’t get to go. As a new dad, I felt my heartstrings being tugged.
Japanese politicians may want to forget about sport after the tribulations of 2020.
But I hope major events will return with fans soon, as Tokyo deserves it.
Michael Pavitt
Senior Reporter
I was fortunate to have reported from Tokyo for insidethegames several times in the build-up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which offered an insight into the type of spectacle the Japanese hosts would put on.
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach repeatedly claimed Tokyo was the best prepared host ever. In one sense this was fortunate as the city may have been one of the few able to cope with the rearranged Games, yet it also meant sadness.
Sporting success was captured well despite the unusual circumstances. The shared men’s high jump gold between Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi and Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim provided one such moment where the sport tore off the COVID enforced shackles it had been placed under.
Athletes were responsible for stand-out moments on the field of play, and often provided the noise away from it. Swimmers helped to make the Games feel less sterile, with support for their team-mates echoing around the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.
A trip to Izu Velodrome, though, provided the real thing, as limited spectators were permitted due to the venue being outside the harshest of restrictions. The small number of fans present made huge noise in support of eventual women’s omnium silver medallist Yumi Kajihara. She was one of the few athletes to enjoy something close to the home support they would have expected for so long.
One of the main images I will take away will be from the railway station overlooking the BMX course.
I remember standing there in late 2019 as the course took shape, wondering what the Games would be like.
As it turned out, the Japanese public took up the same spot to watch events from over a barrier, perhaps wondering what the Games were like.
Geoff Berkeley
Senior Reporter
Covering my first Olympics and Paralympics stirred up a mix of emotions but it was an experience I will certainly never forget. When sitting in an almost empty Olympic Stadium for the Opening Ceremony, hearing cries of dismay from protestors outside, the staging of a Games behind closed doors felt wrong.
It seemed unfair to go ahead without the Japanese public inside the venues and when there was so much opposition over COVID-19 concerns.
But once competition started and medals were handed out, Tokyo 2020 showcased the power of sport to unite nations in the darkest times.
The remarkable journey of Afghan athletes Zakia Khudadadi and Hossain Rasouli was a story that I followed closely while reporting on the Paralympics.
The pair’s dream of competing at the Games appeared to be over when the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan.
But, spearheaded by the International Paralympic Committee, sporting organisations came together to get Khudadadi and Rasouli to Tokyo.
Seeing the two athletes compete at the Paralympics and then jointly hold the Afghan flag aloft at the Closing Ceremony was arguably the greatest moment from both Games.
As a Briton, it was amazing to be inside the arena when my country achieved gold medals including Adam Peaty’s men’s 100m breaststroke triumph and Maisie SummersNewton’s comeback victory in the women’s 200m individual medley SM6.
It was also fantastic to see Japanese athletes capture the home nation’s hearts by delivering success, with my fondest memory coming at the Nippon Budokan where judoka siblings Hifumi and Uta Abe secured Olympic gold on the same night.
I was lucky enough to travel around Tokyo in between the Olympics and Paralympics where I could see how much joy the Games was bringing to the city.
Let’s hope they will be able to see the action in person when Japan next hosts a major sporting event.
Playbooks, masks,lashings of hand sanitiser and the campaign to #FREEPHIL
The insidethegames team recount their experiences of Tokyo 2020
Michael Houston
Reporter
Hypothetical grandchildren and/or nieces and nephews will be bored to tears hearing me yet again tell the tale of the time I travelled to Tokyo during a pandemic, for the Paralympic Games.
And there’s a reason I won’t shut up about it. I, like everyone there, was fortunate enough to see a Games experienced by very few in person.
I had a cloud of paranoia shadow over me in the build-up and during the first few days.
Despite my caution, I was convinced I would catch COVID and be stuck in a room, with these nightmares inspired by the unfortunate incident that Philip Barker found himself in.
Yet, when it properly got underway, it just felt natural.
All the volunteers were incredibly helpful - to the point of detriment when you were in a rush - and meeting people from all kinds of professional backgrounds was what I had been missing from live events.
I’ve been to Japan for work before, and it involved more karaoke and local food. But singing along to the Paralympic victory ceremony song and Tchaikovsky, as well as eating kiosk ham sandwiches and the surprisingly tasty convenience store fried chicken, is just as memorable.
“Make with what you have” was a phrase I heard a lot when I was younger, and the Games applied this perfectly.
You can’t replicate crowd noise, but those in attendance across the two weeks made it feel special.
Whether it was finding a common connection over my football club’s new Japanese striker, or speaking about difference in cultures, I treasured every moment I had with others. We were all aware of our privilege just being there.
Much like those conversations, the Games were over in a flash. The athletes, the media and the volunteers will all move onto the next venture.
A bittersweet moment, but it’s good to know Tokyo 2020 will not be a mere footnote in anyone’s life.
Mike Rowbottom
Chief Feature Writer
When I think of Tokyo 2020, I will think of the lines of people who queued every night to take pictures with the Olympic Rings, set up in a little park next to the National Stadium.
As we filed in night after night, they were not allowed to enter. Some of those gathered in the park took pictures of us through the mesh fencing which kept them out.
Occasionally, someone would jump up onto the fencing as if trying to smash their way through, as laughing friends took pictures.
From the empty concourses of the stadium, you could look out across the city and watch the lights coming on, and see people working late in their offices, many of them clearly watching the Games on television.
It was as if someone had taken over their house for a party. A party that turned out to be an absolute blast.
I will remember leaving the skateboarding venue after the men’s street competition and seeing a family waving at our bus. I waved back, and a little boy suddenly waved back like mad. He would probably have loved to watch the skateboarding, but of course he couldn’t. "Will the Olympics come back, come back soon?" my friend at the bus stop asked.
The Summer Olympics won’t. But the Paralympics did. And the World Athletics Championships can - and surely must - as soon as it is practical.
Eugene has had its version postponed until next year, Budapest will host in 2023 and 2025 looks as if it will be Africa’s first turn to host.
But the beautiful new National Stadium must be host again soon to the world’s best athletes - those who performed wonders on warm nights - for the patient, deserving people of Tokyo.
