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GamesBids' Toyko 2020 Closing Ceremony Live Chat


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2 minutes ago, Olympian2004 said:

Very true! I will always remember my stay in London during the 2012 Paralympics and how amazed I was by how the Games were presented at Channel 4. "The Last Leg" as a humourous look back on the Paralympic day of competition was also a great way of presenting Paralympic sports in a more relaxed and less inhibited way.

'The Last Leg' has continued as a topical comedy show with the same presenters ever since.

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2 minutes ago, Olympian2005 said:

Or just integrate the two and have 3 or so weeks of just all sport and two amazing spectacular ceremonies

I guess that would be impossible to do. You need an even bigger Olympic/Paralympic village for that and enough time and venues in order to stage 879 (!) Olympic and Paralympic events in such a short time. A logistical nightmare, if you ask me.

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Just now, Olympian2004 said:

I guess that would be impossible to do. You need an even bigger Olympic/Paralympic village for that and enough time and venues in order to stage 879 (!) Olympic and Paralympic events in such a short time. A logistical nightmare, if you ask me.

Hah! You and your practical considerations!

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43 minutes ago, olympiaki-agones said:

I feel sad for the people of Tokyo. Very expensive games, high expectations turn out to be disappointments in terms of ceremony execution and empty stadia. Let's see what Tokyo taxpayers will say when the bill comes up. 

This is why I am baffled that the IOC didn't instead consider offering 2032 to Tokyo - even if 2021 went ahead as is at least give them a chance to host again soon to do it the way it was intended. 

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1 minute ago, Australian Kiwi said:

This is why I am baffled that the IOC didn't instead consider offering 2032 to Tokyo - even if 2021 went ahead as is at least give them a chance to host again soon to do it the way it was intended. 

I'm in the same boat. Let Tokyo have another chance.

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5 minutes ago, Australian Kiwi said:

This is why I am baffled that the IOC didn't instead consider offering 2032 to Tokyo - even if 2021 went ahead as is at least give them a chance to host again soon to do it the way it was intended. 

That assumes the Japanese would've welcomed this. I'm not sure that was true before the Games. Even if the IOC suggested it, I could imagine the idea being quietly turned down given the politics and low public support in the build up to these Games.

I wonder whether the Japanese feel any different now - if they'd welcome a chance to do it as they would've wanted - or if they're just relieved it's done with?

Edited by Rob.
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Well, I'm gonna sign-off here for a few hours and get some extra sleep. CBC has replays now until 5pm. I'll maybe give the closing ceremonies a rewatch later. I really want to watch the first half of the opening ceremonies which I missed.

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4 minutes ago, Rob. said:

That assumes the Japanese would've welcomed this. I'm not sure that was true before the Games. Even if the IOC suggested it, I could imagine the idea being quietly turned down given the politics surrounding these Games.

I wonder whether the Japanese feel any different now - if they'd welcome a chance to do it as they would've wanted - or if they're just relieved it's done with?

Possibly? But its more the intent and the thought that counts. 

Japan did the Olympic Movement a huge favour by pushing through and committing to delivering the Games in the most exceptional and challenging circumstances (when they probably should have been cancelled). Instead, a certain VP was too busy stitching things up for his own home town for it to have been properly considered. 

If the IOC is so intent on sustainability - surely repeat hosts would be part of that which mostly utilise existing venues (eg. a third Tokyo Olympics in 2032 instead of Brisbane).

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I understand the desire to downscale the Ceremonies after COVID, but to be brutally honest they didn't even try....I am really shocked how a creative powerhouse like Japan can present itself to the world like it did at the Opening and Closing. I have been to school concerts with better staging, lighting, music and emotion.

The Games themselves were a triumph of the near impossible.

I feel sad- I have been to Japan 5 times, learnt the language etc... I dont like to criticise them... but that what a chat site is about.

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5 minutes ago, Australian Kiwi said:

Possibly? But its more the intent and the thought that counts. 

Japan did the Olympic Movement a huge favour by pushing through and committing to delivering the Games in the most exceptional and challenging circumstances (when they probably should have been cancelled). Instead, a certain VP was too busy stitching things up for his own home town for it to have been properly considered. 

If the IOC is so intent on sustainability - surely repeat hosts would be part of that which mostly utilise existing venues (eg. a third Tokyo Olympics in 2032 instead of Brisbane).

IDK if Tokyo would accept a delayed Olympics even for redemption purposes, Rob noted that the most hyped place for future Olympics in Japan is now Sapporo for Winter 2030

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Weren't they very supportive before the pandemic though? Suggesting that it's not hosting the Games they're opposed to, but hosting the Games in a global pandemic. That's why I was a little surprised by the shotgun Brisbane award - they could've waited until the vaccination in Japan had got to a level where Covid's in retreat there (or for it to do a Spanish flu and kinda burn out), so maybe 2023 for the first (? Don't know how they are atm) then given Tokyo an unconditional offer of 2032. Brisbane would still be there if Tokyo said no.

They should certainly offer Japan something now we're in the era of offers rather than bids, whether it's the 2030 winters to Sapporo or even 2036 to Tokyo - if they don't want to yet that's one thing but Japan deserves to have the chance to host and shine properly, it's clear these would've been among the best Games if it wasn't for that **** virus.

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And on the ceremonies, that isn't a problem with Japan itself (look at the Rio handover) or with the virus (although obvs that did lead to the opening turning into a memorial service) but with the chaos in the creative team. I don't know the full story of why MIKIKO was dumped, maybe it was because of the virus and being concerned about the tone, but even the few pages of her proposal we saw looked so impressive. I would LOVE to read that whole proposal. Then losing another director so close to the night didn't help. I know the ceremonies aren't the main part of it (sorry Baron) but that is another reason why I want to see Japan host a normal, full Games ASAP.

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2 hours ago, Olympian2004 said:

True, regarding the political aspect, I dread those Games, too. But Tokyo at least showed that even under difficult circumstances, one can still enjoy the athletic performances. At this day and age, it's sometimes sadly necessary to keep the bleak reality out for a few moments and enjoy the moment while it lasts.

In that respect, I'm quite glad that the United States finished first - that way, the Communist regime cannot use a first-place finish for propaganda purposes. Considering its generally abysmal human rights record, its less-than-stellar (one might add: deceptive) role during the Covid outbreak (putting it rather diplomatically), its quasi-genocidal treatment of the Uighyur minority, as well as plausible suspicions and threats against its neighbours (not the least Taiwan - yes, Taiwan, not "Chinese Taipei"), one would think that the IOC would be clever enough not to hitch its wagon to the authoritarian regime in Beijing. Then again, as we Germans have known even before he became President, the one thing Thomas Bach possesses is a lack of morality. Not looking forward to Beijing 2022 at all - if the 2008 edition is any guide, it will be positively Riefenstahlesque. 

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2 hours ago, Olympian2004 said:

If Japan's government wanted to pull through "their" Olympic Games, you can be sure that the Chinese regime will do the same. They have less reason to be cautious, anyway - Tokyo proved that it's possible to stage relatively COVID-19-free Games, and the Chinese people have a much higher vaccination rate already now than the Japanese. And I also doubt there will be any boycotts against the Games. Maybe some political dignitaries won't travel to Beijing, but I guess that will be all. As usual, the world shies away from incuring China's wreath by criticising its regime too harshly.

To be fair, the progress on vaccinations in China should be treated with a dose of caution. Reports from countries like the Seychelles, which heavily relied on Chinese vaccines are reporting a rather low efficacy rate. But yes, the PRC regime isn't acocountable to its people - so they will be able to execute a rather soulless, albeit efficient Winter Games, provided there is no major outbreak.

Agreed, until I see anything to the contrary, I don't think that talk of a boycott will amount to much. Old thought patterns still persist among elected officials and sports functionaries alike. Somehow they think there is a pot of gold to be found there, at the end of the proverbial rainbow - execpt that it's a crown of thorns waiting for them, one way or the other. If the West was united, it could bring the IOC (and also China) to heel. But it lacks unity - so don't expect any major 1980-style boycott. 

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2 hours ago, JMarkSnow2012 said:

I strongly disagree. Tokyo's handover in 2016 was superb, and if they'd trusted the same team for the 2021/1 opening ceremonies they could have achieved something truly special

To be fair, I think Tokyo's radius of action was substantially impaired by Covid. Think artists, dancers, processions, singers and the like (and, of course, an audience) - none of which were there in notable numbers. Consequently, it feeling somewhat soulless isn't much of a surprise. The tone was also tricky - adopt too much of a hesitant tone, and the organizers would be criticized for adding to the wider gloomy mood; adopt too much of a triumphalist tone, and the orgnaizers would be attacked for lacking the tact to take account of events around Covid. Damned if they did, damned if they didn't. 

Besides, closing ceremonies feel, well, redundant. If anything, I hope that Covid will contribute to the gradual streamlining of this particular sub-genre in the Olympic experience. CCs tend to become free-for-alls with video montages, a couple of musical performances and a few overly saccharine speeches by IOC/OC officials tacked on. Scale it down, streamline it, keep it to the essentials would be the trifecta that closing ceremonies should go for in the future. 

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12 minutes ago, plusbrilliantsexploits said:

To be fair, the progress on vaccinations in China should be treated with a dose of caution. Reports from countries like the Seychelles, which heavily relied on Chinese vaccines are reporting a rather low efficacy rate. But yes, the PRC regime isn't acocountable to its people - so they will be able to execute a rather soulless, albeit efficient Winter Games, provided there is no major outbreak.

Agreed, until I see anything to the contrary, I don't think that talk of a boycott will amount to much. Old thought patterns still persist among elected officials and sports functionaries alike. Somehow they think there is a pot of gold to be found there, at the end of the proverbial rainbow - execpt that it's a crown of thorns waiting for them, one way or the other. If the West was united, it could bring the IOC (and also China) to heel. But it lacks unity - so don't expect any major 1980-style boycott. 

Seeing the open ceremony of the Chinese National Games. They don't care. We are less than 6 months  out. What was the conversations 6 months before Tokyo? Are the Chinese even thinking about not letting spectators in? Have the Chinese been looking at the Tokyo's precautions?  Where are the articles?

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3 minutes ago, AmaniS said:

Seeing the open ceremony of the Chinese National Games. They don't care. We are less than 6 months  out. What was the conversations 6 months before Tokyo? Are the Chinese even thinking about not letting spectators in? Have the Chinese been looking at the Tokyo's precautions?  Where are the articles?

Wait they've opened the Shanxi games already? Aren't we're still some months before that games?

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1 hour ago, yoshi said:

I don't know the full story of why MIKIKO was dumped

 
As I understand it, not so much dumped as downgraded and shunted aside from a project she'd been nurturing for years. So she quit, and Ringo Shiina followed, and by the end of 2020 the whole team was disbanded.
What makes it even more frustrating is that in 2016 they had created a spectacle which would work well with social distancing rules ...
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17 minutes ago, plusbrilliantsexploits said:

adopt too much of a hesitant tone, and the organizers would be criticized for adding to the wider gloomy mood; adopt too much of a triumphalist tone, and the orgnaizers would be attacked for lacking the tact to take account of events around Covid.

But Japan is accustomed to disasters; they are, arguably, a major factor contributing to the national character. The precise timing of the covid resurgence may be a key problem, triggering a risk-avoidance strategy rather than a defiant will to overcome adversity.

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