As we all know, the Summer Olympics 2020 in Tokyo didn't happen. This large global event is to occur in July of this year. As we get closer to the summer months of 2021, the big question is whether they will happen. The answer right now is yes. Today March 9th, it was announced Tokyo is going ahead without any world spectators. Which makes sense because we know a lot of countries are only allowing travel for essential reasons. Even though there is a vaccine, it's probably not a great idea yet, to have a whole bunch of people travel into one country for an event. At least it looks like the Olympics are going ahead. I know Florida was willing to help out if Tokyo could not host them this year. Many possible solutions were being looked at so the Olympics didn't have to cancel.
I feel watching sports is something we need in our lives right now. We need something to look forward to; there is only so many Netflix and other streaming services you can binge. Sport is much more than just watching a team or individual compete, it's about crowds coming together and supporting those athletes. That is a major simple thing we haven't been able to do during this pandemic is to gather. Without crowds, let's face it the Olympics won't be the same. But at least it's a solution for now until the world returns to some state of normal.
In this episode, I talk to Mark Hatton UK Winter Olympic athlete, about what it's like to be a part of the global event, what he feels will happen with these upcoming summer games and the future of this world sporting event post-pandemic. So many questions to ask, and I'm fascinated by this topic because, in my life, I have never have witnessed an event of this magnitude be postponed. After seeing an Olympics in my hometown of Vancouver, I have been hooked on the games ever since. I have so many questions for Mark, and I know this will be a great episode.