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The 2020/2021 Tokyo Olympics : Does Japan get the gold medal or the wooden spoon?

O'shea, Paul LU and Maslow, Sebastian (2023) In Contemporary Japan 35(1). p.16-34
Abstract
The Tokyo 2020/2021 Olympics will go down in history as the 'Pandemic Games'. Postponed by a year due to Covid-19, they were eventually held despite broad public protest and amidst the Delta variant wave. Japan brought home a record haul of medals, yet Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide resigned in ignominy shortly after the Games ended. So, was Tokyo 2020/2021 a 'success' or a 'failure', and for whom? We examine the policy and politics of the Games, considering the attribution of 'success' and 'failure' to the Olympics across a range of issues, actors, and narratives. Reviewing their economic, public health, soft power, and political impact, we find that the Tokyo 2020/2021 Olympics remain deeply ambiguous. Prime Minister Abe Shinzō’s vision... (More)
The Tokyo 2020/2021 Olympics will go down in history as the 'Pandemic Games'. Postponed by a year due to Covid-19, they were eventually held despite broad public protest and amidst the Delta variant wave. Japan brought home a record haul of medals, yet Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide resigned in ignominy shortly after the Games ended. So, was Tokyo 2020/2021 a 'success' or a 'failure', and for whom? We examine the policy and politics of the Games, considering the attribution of 'success' and 'failure' to the Olympics across a range of issues, actors, and narratives. Reviewing their economic, public health, soft power, and political impact, we find that the Tokyo 2020/2021 Olympics remain deeply ambiguous. Prime Minister Abe Shinzō’s vision of a proud, 'reborn' Japan showcasing itself to the world obviously did not come to pass; neither did the promise of a 'Recovery Olympics' aiding in the reconstruction of the post-3/11 Tohoku region. Conversely, the predictions of a COVID-19 catastrophe, of even an 'Olympic variant', also failed to transpire. Rather, the Olympics became a pared-down event forced through by vested interests, notably the IOC and Dentsu. The political fallout was contained by one-party dominance in Japan’s democracy, where even a forced mega-event during a pandemic was insufficient to threaten the Liberal Democratic Party’s stranglehold on power. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Contemporary Japan
volume
35
issue
1
pages
16 - 34
publisher
Taylor & Francis
external identifiers
  • scopus:85153786492
ISSN
1869-2737
DOI
10.1080/18692729.2023.2169819
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
2a2d7d8a-bdbf-460e-be4d-1485dec23925
date added to LUP
2023-03-16 14:09:29
date last changed
2023-07-14 09:28:00
@article{2a2d7d8a-bdbf-460e-be4d-1485dec23925,
  abstract     = {{The Tokyo 2020/2021 Olympics will go down in history as the 'Pandemic Games'. Postponed by a year due to Covid-19, they were eventually held despite broad public protest and amidst the Delta variant wave. Japan brought home a record haul of medals, yet Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide resigned in ignominy shortly after the Games ended. So, was Tokyo 2020/2021 a 'success' or a 'failure', and for whom? We examine the policy and politics of the Games, considering the attribution of 'success' and 'failure' to the Olympics across a range of issues, actors, and narratives. Reviewing their economic, public health, soft power, and political impact, we find that the Tokyo 2020/2021 Olympics remain deeply ambiguous. Prime Minister Abe Shinzō’s vision of a proud, 'reborn' Japan showcasing itself to the world obviously did not come to pass; neither did the promise of a 'Recovery Olympics' aiding in the reconstruction of the post-3/11 Tohoku region. Conversely, the predictions of a COVID-19 catastrophe, of even an 'Olympic variant', also failed to transpire. Rather, the Olympics became a pared-down event forced through by vested interests, notably the IOC and Dentsu. The political fallout was contained by one-party dominance in Japan’s democracy, where even a forced mega-event during a pandemic was insufficient to threaten the Liberal Democratic Party’s stranglehold on power.}},
  author       = {{O'shea, Paul and Maslow, Sebastian}},
  issn         = {{1869-2737}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{16--34}},
  publisher    = {{Taylor & Francis}},
  series       = {{Contemporary Japan}},
  title        = {{The 2020/2021 Tokyo Olympics : Does Japan get the gold medal or the wooden spoon?}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/18692729.2023.2169819}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/18692729.2023.2169819}},
  volume       = {{35}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}