How the Tokyo 2021 Olympics Reflects the Western Myth of Post-Pandemic Normalcy

Image by Matthieu Gouiffes.

Trigger warning: mention of COVID-19 deaths        

During the month of June, news on my social media timelines about the Olympics revolved around the Olympic trials, particularly the American and Canadian Olympic trials, in which athletes competed to see who would represent their respective countries. I read stories about the first Hmong American Olympic gymnast, Suni Lee, and the youngest Canadian Olympian swimmer, 14-year-old Summer McIntosh. My first passing thought, when I initially saw these stories, as I scrolled down Instagram was: good for them. Then I paused—the reality of what I was witnessing sank in. 

The Olympics are still happening? During a pandemic?

Over the past year, I’ve had conversations with my friend Maria Denk about how poorly our home countries (Philippines and Japan) have been handling the pandemic. We also talked about the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and she mentioned how the Japanese people were protesting to have them cancelled. When it was eventually cancelled in 2020, I vividly remember her temporary relief because soon after, it was reported that the Games would be postponed to 2021. While she is unable to visit her own family living in Japan, athletes and other foreigners with no ties to the country would be able to enter for the Olympics.

“It was profoundly disheartening how privileged and entitled others were while immigrants and children of immigrants privately grieve for our homes, countries that Canada and other Western nations refuse to care about.”

And I feel for her. As a child of immigrants myself, one of my biggest concerns in this pandemic was not being able to see my lola (grandma) alive one last time. The fear of her catching COVID-19 or passing away from old age was an undercurrent in all my family discussions about how she was doing.

Yet, time and time again, I had to witness other Canadians—primarily white Canadians, and I make this distinction deliberately, considering that racialized communities and ethnic minorities have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic—complain about masks and social distancing. Or not being able to dine in or go camping or travel. It was profoundly disheartening how privileged and entitled others were while immigrants and children of immigrants privately grieve for our homes, countries that Canada and other Western nations refuse to care about.

Still, while Maria and I could relate to the anger and sadness brought on by being children of immigrants during the COVID-19 pandemic, I will never fully feel her grief and concern seeing the news about the Tokyo 2021 Olympics.

Twitter thread shared with permission from Maria Denk. Refer here.

There is a legitimate fear in Japan over COVID-19, particularly regarding the Delta variant reported to be more transmissible than other strains of the virus. Many Japanese people want the games cancelled for this very reason. In a recent survey done by The Asahi Shimbun on May 17, 2021, it was found that over 80% of Japanese people polled do not support the games. The petition “Cancel the Tokyo Olympics to protect our lives” started by lawyer and social activist Kenji Utsunomiya is only about 50,000 signatures away from its goal of 500,000 signatures. It makes sense for the Japanese people to oppose the Olympic Games. The Games would result in mass international travel to their homes during a pandemic, putting them and their loved ones at risk. But this fear is something that Western countries and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have willfully ignored.

This willful ignorance comes from the privilege of vaccine access. While over 55% of the United States population and 70% of the Canadian population have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, just over 34% of the Japanese population have received at least one dose. And if there is anything I’ve learned during this pandemic, it is this: Western countries are selfish. They spin stories and speeches about global care and vaccine equity while hoarding vaccines and prioritizing profit over people. These countries do this because they run on capitalism and neocolonialism. So, while non-Western countries continue to live with valid concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, Western countries spread this myth of post-pandemic normalcy.

“The narrative about COVID-19 safety focused on bringing back the status quo.”

This privileged mentality that ignores global health and community care is reflected in how Canada, and other Western societies, have approached the pandemic since it started. In British Columbia, as well as other provinces, the emphasis has always been on “normalcy.” The messaging we hear has always been “mask up, social distance, and stay home so we can get back to normal,” and never “mask up, social distance, and stay home so people don’t have to die.”

The narrative about COVID-19 safety focused on bringing back the status quo. It never centered on keeping people safe, on caring for those who were most at risk: healthcare workers, service workers, the elderly, disabled folks, the unhoused—many of whom are immigrants, working-class, and racialized. Sure, for a weird, brief period of time, people went out onto their balconies at 7 p.m. to clap and bang pots and pans in support of frontline healthcare workers. But eventually, all anyone cared about was to “get things back to normal” and only rarely did anyone talk about global health and vaccine equity. Only those within our borders would be prioritized.

“A post-pandemic world doesn’t even exist yet.”

Never mind that this virus doesn’t care about borders. Never mind that millions of people have died worldwide. Never mind that millions of people are still getting infected and nowhere close to being vaccinated. Never mind that millions of us still need time and space to grieve. 

A post-pandemic world doesn’t even exist yet. Variants are a huge concern, especially when countries with lower vaccination rates than the United States and Canada are dealing with third waves. But Western countries and organizations like the IOC don’t consider that. I would argue that they simply don’t care. So, while Western media are focused on the 2021 Olympic trials and the athletes going to compete, I wonder about the myth of post-pandemic normalcy. I think about how we can successfully arrive to a post-pandemic world when these Western countries and institutions don’t even consider the safety of people living beyond their borders. 

The Olympics are still happening? During a pandemic?

Yes, of course, it is. We’re getting back to normal, after all.

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