Tokyo Olympics ... [no foreign fans] [no fans period]

[Atticus]

But cases are skyrocketing in Japan....whether there is a direct link is debatable

Far lower rate than Florida, which hosted zero Olympics.
The Games did exactly what the Organizers said they could do - run a safe, enjoyable, successful OGames . . . then and there.

[bad hammy]

Far lower rate than Florida, which hosted zero Olympics.

I believe Florida's in a tight battle with TX and others in the Covid Stupidity Olympics . . .

[bambam1729]

So here’s what life was like in the Tokyo Olympic bubble, for those of you who don’t know precisely what we were required to do. First, before we left we had about 6-7 Zoom meetings with the USOPC (I work for them at the Games) telling us what we needed to do and the hoops we had to jump thru to get to Tokyo and stay there and then get home.

We had to download multiple apps on our phones, which were required to be with us at all times in Tokyo, and they had to be set to GPS tracking. The main app we used was called OCHA, which we used daily. We also had to fill out an activity plan for the Tokyo OCOG, detailing where we would stay, what venues we would go to, and any other sites we might be at while in Tokyo. Once we filed that activity plan, we could not deviate from it in Tokyo for the first 14 days there. They could check it by the GPS tracking app.

You also had to sign a written pledge to the Japanese government that you would follow all the restrictions and tests and other stuff I’m about to describe while in Japan. The pledge was in Japanese so we had no idea what it said but the USOPC assured us it was only that we would follow the rules. 1/n

[bambam1729]

To get to Tokyo we had to produce 2 negative COVID tests, one within 96 hours, and one within 72 hours of our international flight to Tokyo. The USOPC provided these for us and they were self-administered. We had to take a photo of ourselves with the swab up our nose and submit it to another app, called MEENTA, which produced the certificate of a negative COVID test allowing us to enter Japan. At the airport in Boston, I had to show my negative tests, a copy of my written pledge, and a copy of my activity plan, just to board the plane, in addition to the usual boarding pass and passport.

At the Tokyo airport, upon arrival, we were tested again. We could not enter the country until we had another negative test and one writer got sent back to Seattle because his negative test at home was not within 72 hours of takeoff on his international flight. The airport testing was arduous. At Narita airport, the main international airport, it took some people 6-8 hours to get thru it. You could not go thru customs until you got that negative test at the airport. Fortunately, I went to the more domestic airport, Haneda (no idea why), and I got thru in about 2½ hours.

Once you got to your hotel, you noted that there were separate elevators – one for Japanese nationals, and one for Olympic officials. We could not mingle and had to take only the Olympic elevator. There was a security guard who sat next to the elevators 24 hours/day to ensure we would follow all the rules. For the first 3 days in the Tokyo hotel, we had no maid service – they could not enter the room for any reason for fear of us being infected, despite all the negative tests. Finally after 4 days, we could get fresh towels. 2/n

[bambam1729]

We could not leave the hotel except to go where our activity plan said we were allowed, although this was not checked closely for me and my group. However, some writers violated this and were caught by the tracking app – I don’t know what happened to them. We had a restaurant in our hotel for breakfast and lunch. It was a buffet. We had to have our temp taken to enter it, and had to pick up the food, wearing gloves, and take it back to our room. We could not eat there.

We were allowed to leave the hotel to go the local Family Mart (down the block) to get food, drinks, essentials. However, to do so, we had to sign out with the security guard at the hotel, and we had to be back within 15 minutes – the maximum amount of time we were allowed out of the hotel and outside of our activity plan. Most people were not allowed to leave their hotel for 3 days after arrival in Japan for any reason. However, working for the USOPC we were exempt from that and I could go to the MPC on day 1 in Japan.

Every morning we had to register our health status on our OCHA app – detailing how we felt, if we were near anybody who might have been sick, take our temperature and record it (supposedly – most of us estimated it – I did), and document that we were healthy. This was important. We had to do this every day and we had to document this for 14 days to be allowed out of quarantine. 3/n

[bambam1729]

Once at the MPC (Main Press Centre) the first thing we had to do was spit. We had to spit into little vials that were provided for us, and register our spit on another special app that recorded our date of birth, our Olympic credential # (we all ended up memorizing ours – 1287863 – never even knew it before), and the code on the vial, using a picture of the QR code. We then had to submit it to be tested. Naturally we had to wear a mask the entire time we were outdoors or indoors, anywhere in Tokyo, even the MPC.

After getting 14 days of negative COVID tests while in Japan (the one at the airport did not count), and documenting our health status as healthy for 14 days on our OCHA app, we were out of quarantine and could now theoretically be released to do what we wanted. Very few of us did anything as we were used to being herded around like lemmings. Our OCHA app had a special screen that showed we were now “cleared”. We could show that to the security guard at our hotel to be released from the hotel for more than 15 minutes and without signing out.

To get back into the United States at the end of the Olympics, we had to produce a negative test (another one), within 72 hours of our flight leaving Tokyo. Mine was to leave on Monday so I took the test Friday evening just past my scheduled departure time, because it takes about 16 hours to get the result. I also did it again on Saturday, just in case. This was to get our “negative certificate” and we were all sweating this, making sure we got it within the proper time frame.

For me it got a little nervous because my flight out of Tokyo on Monday was cancelled for mechanical issues. I had a negative certificate from Saturday evening, but if that flight on Tuesday was delayed for any reason I might have had to start again and get a new negative certificate which would have kept me in Tokyo 2-3 more days. Had I not done the extra test on Saturday I could have been screwed, although United said they would accept the test from Friday. Fortunately, we left on time, and I got to Chicago on Tuesday afternoon to board a flight to Boston. The first thing I did in Chicago was delete my dreaded OCHA app!

So it was a very different Olympic Games, my 14^th. We couldn’t really do anything, or see anything in Tokyo, which was regrettable. But they did keep us safe, and also kept the Japanese people safe from us. Got back home late Tuesday night (11 Aug), as my wife met me at Logan Airport, and then after driving up to New Hampshire. Home. 4/end

[bambam1729]

And one more thing, vaccination status meant nothing in Japan. They never even asked us, and if you were vaccinated, it did not exempt you from any of the requirements.

[tandfman]

Thank you, bambam, for giving me reasons not to feel so bad about missing the Olympics for the first time since 1980, the boycott year. What you had to go through could not have been much fun.

[NotDutra5]

Having the Olympics didn't do the PM any favors...the Financial Times...


Japan PM fails to gain bounce from Olympics


A recent poll for the Asahi newspaper was one of several that showed Suga’s approval rating had dropped below 30 per cent, widely regarded as a danger level. “Within the LDP, that creates a feeling that Suga can’t front an election,” said Atsuo Ito, a political analyst and former party official.

The public appeared to have enjoyed the Olympics: 56 per cent of voters in the Asahi poll said it was the right decision to go ahead with the Games. But they did not approve of the way Suga forced the event to happen, with 54 per cent saying it was not held in a safe and secure manner.

Do we or should anyone other than the Japanese population really care what Suga's popularity is. I realize you have to continue to bang the drum for reasons completely unknown but the Games are over. They were enjoyable and the cleanup, as with any Olympics is left to the country they were held in.

[bambam1729]

And one more thing, vaccination status meant nothing in Japan. They never even asked us, and if you were vaccinated, it did not exempt you from any of the requirements.

It was "fun" because I saw a lot of "ringheads" that I only see every 2 years, and spent time with the USOPC crew that I've gotten to know pretty well. But it certainly was not the normal fun you have at an Olympics.

[dukehjsteve]

fascinating and informative saga, bam thank you ! But I'm still a bit confused. Did you get to go to the stadium and SEE the Games !?

[jazzcyclist]

Bambam, your story reminds me of an athlete I know who said that the whole time she was over there she was worried about catching covid and getting thrown in "covid jail" and not being allowed to compete or leave on time.

[bambam1729]

fascinating and informative saga, bam thank you ! But I'm still a bit confused. Did you get to go to the stadium and SEE the Games !?

Only went to one event - a tennis match - Djokovic in the quarter-finals. I did not have any venues on my activity plan so was not allowed to go until I broke quarantine to go to the tennis match near the end of the Games. Never been to an Olympics before where I saw so few events live. Was just too difficult with all the restrictions and with no spectators it was so sterile. I had tickets for the Closing Ceremony but opted to skip it.

As to Jazz's comment we were all worried about getting dinged for a positive test and having to quarantine in Tokyo for 14 days, on our own dime (USOPC may have paid for this - uncertain). One writer for insidethegames flew over to Tokyo and somebody on his airplane had a positive test in a row near his, so he had to quarantine in the hotel for 14 days before being able to go to the MPC. Not fun.

[18.99s]

And one more thing, vaccination status meant nothing in Japan. They never even asked us, and if you were vaccinated, it did not exempt you from any of the requirements.

If they required vaccines, they'd be denying entry to maybe over 1/3 of the athletes, many of whom live in countries where the vaccine isn't readily available to young people. And Japan itself is a country like that, with less than 20% of their adult population fully vaccinated the week before the Games began.

[jazzcyclist]

If they required vaccines, they'd be denying entry to maybe over 1/3 of the athletes, many of whom live in countries where the vaccine isn't readily available to young people. And Japan itself is a country like that, with less than 20% of their adult population fully vaccinated the week before the Games began.

Also, we now know that being vaccinated doesn't prevent you from catching covid, and there would be no way for Japan to authenticate an athlete's proof of vaccination anyway.