The 2020 Olympics were slated to be held in Tokyo next month, but earlier this year the coronavirus pandemic forced the Summer Games to be postponed until 2021. Even with that postponement, according to a poll that was conducted by the Kyodo news agency last week, only 23.9 percent of Japanese citizens want the Olympics to take place in their country next summer.
In addition, 36.4 percent of those polled would prefer another delay, though the Olympic committee has admitted that a second postponement is unlikely.
As far as canceling the games go, 34 percent of those polled would be fine with that, citing that it won't be safe enough of an environment for the athletes. Additionally, 13 percent of respondents believe that the government needs to worry more about controlling the virus, while 59 percent disapprove on how COVID-19 has been handled in Japan so far.
IOC president Thomas Bach is planning for the Olympics to run smoothly next summer. He said last week that the 2021 Olympics offer a "unique" opportunity to be "the first worldwide gathering after the coronavirus" following months of being quarantined.
Many professional sports leagues are set to return in July and in the coming weeks. Major League Baseball will begin their 60-game season on Thursday with the New York Yankees facing the Washington Nationals. In addition, the NBA and NHL are set to resume their seasons at the end of the month.
