Megan Fehrenbach ’22
After the postponement in March of 2020 of the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, the Olympics are almost here. New activities such as skateboarding, surfing, sport climbing, and karate are all included in the summer games, as well as the return of baseball and softball. However, many athletes are worried about the state of the pandemic in Japan. Competitors such as Roger Federer and Serena Williams have both expressed uncertainty as to whether or not they will return to play tennis this summer. As of May 2021, Japan is in a state of emergency regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, and some athletes who are to compete this summer are worried about whether or not the condition of the city will be safe enough for them to compete.
Many civilians are also concerned about the current state of the pandemic and are making the argument that the games should not commence this year. Over 350,000 citizens signed a petition to cancel the rescheduled games. No one is sure as to whether or not the games will definitely happen, but as of now, the Olympics are set to return in late July of 2021. There is no guarantee that the famed athletes will return, out of concern for their own personal safety and the safety of others, yet many people are also excited to see the international competitions of their favorite summer sports commence in less than two months, after almost five years.