Next summer, the whole world will travel through a wormhole back in time, for the 2020 Olympic Games. This isn’t Back to the Future, or even Interstellar, this is just the new normal when it comes to the global pandemic.
Now that the dust has settled on changing the dates for the Games of the XXXII Olympiad – July 24-August 9 of 2020 now becomes July 23-August 8 of 2021 – hopefully, we can have some lighthearted fun surrounding what is a remarkably unprecedented situation.
The Olympics have never been postponed, but they have been cancelled three times. In 1916, the Summer Olympics, originally scheduled for Berlin, Germany, were axed because of the First World War.
Twenty years later, Germany got a second chance to host the Games, but by that time things were a bit different to say the least. The 1936 Olympics took place in Nazi Germany under the watchful eye of Adolf Hitler.
We all know that led to the Second World War, and also the eventual demise of the 1940 Olympics, originally scheduled to take place in Japan. Those Games were tentatively rescheduled for Helsinki, Finland, but in September of 1939 Nazi Germany invaded Poland, and in December of 1941 Japan bombed Pearl Harbour.
The 1944 Olympics were originally scheduled to be held in London, but by then most of Europe was under Nazi control. London would get a chance to host the Games again, in 1948, and Helsinki would host in 1952 and Tokyo 1964.
Tokyo’s unprecedented postponement because of Covid-19 is both a blow to the country and a remarkable opportunity. This is a first, and Japan should instantly set out to capitalise on an Olympiad that will most definitely go down in the history books.
Next summer, for the first time ever, the modern Olympics will take place in an odd-numbered year.
The case for keeping the name Tokyo 2020 is obvious, nobody wants to take a felt marker to every shirt, hat, commemorative pin and coffee mug, scratch out the zero and replace it with the number one. Estimates suggest Japan is going to have to part with an additional US$4 billion, on top of the US$12.6 it was already planning on spending, in moving the Games 364 days into the future.
But herein lies the opportunity and a case for leaving 2020 in the dust. In rebranding to Tokyo 2021, Tokyo 2020 merchandise would instantaneously become collectors’ items. Japan could announce the name change in a splashy media event, maybe a bit like when Prince changed his name to asymbol in 1993. Tokyo 2020 items would fly off the shelves, snatched up in record time, after Japanese officials, of course, marked up the prices a bit first.
Then, an entirely new wave of merchandise would roll out – Tokyo 2021. Once again, merchandise would become collectors’ items, as anyone and their dog would want to get their hands on a T-shirt showcasing the first and only Games to take place in an odd year – the Winter Olympics included.
Cheekiness aside, this is the new framework Japan should be making its modus operandi. Embracing change has never been a tenant of Japanese culture, where tradition reigns supreme. Let us not forget, the past few weeks have been a PR disaster for both the Tokyo 2020 organising committee and the International Olympic Committee.
We must also realise where we stand when it comes to Olympics and the collective psyche. The 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro were explosively controversial and viewed as a failure for the country. Brazil’s president at the time, Dilma Rousseff, was impeached only 10 days after the Games concluded in August.
When 2022 rolls around and the Winter Olympics descend upon Beijing, who knows where China will be? The Communist Party is hell-bent on quashing dissent, fabricating global narratives and punishing opposition both externally, and internally. One can’t expect a sunny disposition as athletes warily set foot inside an authoritative state which looks increasingly irritated by the day.
Postponement chatter for Tokyo 2020 had reached an unprecedented level as every day news outlets were feasting on leaks and developments in the country, and the IOC held firm like a stubborn nail.
Lessons should have been learned and mindsets need to change. Let’s face it, it’s only April and we want to write off 2020 already. When 2021 rolls around, everyone is going to be ready for a fresh start, and herein lies a compelling new narrative.
Tokyo 2021 could be downright amazing, just scratch out the zero and replace it with the number one. Marketing gimmicks aside, the seriousness of the situation prevails: only time will tell if next summer we head back in time while looking forward, or feel stuck in the past trying to move on. Your move Japan.