TOKYO, Japan, Jul 22 (ACN) Those who come to Tokyo, walk down its streets or spend some time watching one of the myriad TV channels of the hotel where a group of Cuban press members are staying, will have to say that the Japanese capital does not seem to be enjoying its Olympic Games.
We arrived on the 16th, and today, a day before the official start of the great celebration of world sports, the Olympic Games, which many cities would be celebrating since their designation as a venue until the closing day and even beyond.
Granted, the difficult situation caused by COVID-19 could have some of the blame, but it is also true that the almost total silence, not to be absolute, and the lack of publicity in streets and avenues, acknowledge this fact. I wish I were wrong, but…
Our one-hour-long trip today on the shuttle bus that took us to the Main Press Center we could confirm the initial assertion of this article: we didn’t see any sign or banner about the Games, which I repeat, will begin on Friday and finish on August 8.
This has been a shock since we arrived in Tokyo. We got used to it a little, but today our photographer, who was trying to take pictures through the window, broke the silence reigning in the bus with an exclamation that still rings in my ears: “Look, the first sign I see about Tokyo 2020!”
This is my fourth Olympiad, in addition to three Central American and Caribbean Games and five Pan American Games, and I assure you that I had never seen this kind of silence. However, it is also true that such a lack of publicity may be also due to the refusal of the Japanese, mainly among those who live in Tokyo, to host the Games in the midst of the pandemic.
I believe that this city, rich enough in resources and intellect to do that and much more, could have made a bigger splash about a sports event that takes place every four years.
Of course, there is plenty of promotion on social networks, but I think that’s not what it’s all about when it comes to advertising the Olympics on a permanent basis and in ways visible to those who come or walk down streets and avenues, even those closest to the sports facilities.
