Creative Writing Essay: Memo on Olympic Diplomacy

MEMO ON OLYMPIC DIPLOMACYJiaxi Zhu Penn State University10/8/2020
Memo on Olympic Diplomacy
MEMORANDUM TO: Japanese Olympic Organizing Committee.
FROM: Jiaxi Zhu, Japanese Foreign Ministry.
SUBJECT: Policy Memo on The Diplomatic Advantages and Demerits of Holding, Postponing, Or Cancelling The 2020 Olympics.
RECOMMENDATION:
I recommend that the Japanese Olympic Committee consider my advice about holding, postponing, or canceling the 2020 Olympic games that were to be held in March. This recommendation should be considered before coming up with a final decision. COVID-19 has a strong infectious impact and could lead to the ultimate failure of the whole event. Postponing also would affect local events. The positives are that sports provide an avenue is suitable for fixing relationships between nations, internal politics, and driving agendas such as human rights. However, my final view is to have the whole event canceled. I also recommend that the committee consider the decision-making mechanisms about postponing or canceling the event and the impact on sports diplomacy, given the various scenarios and choices the committee has.
Discussion
Background. Since everyone is informed that COVID-19 has a strong infectious impact, the number of sick persons is rising exponentially globally. There is an agreement that the most significant concerns are to slow the spreading pace and secure human beings’ lives. In this circumstance, different sports associations have taken decisions to delay and cancel their sporting activities from the top-level to local sporting events.[. Balmer, E. (2020, March 12). The Japan Times. ]
Proposal
1 Consequences of holding the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
Current figures suggest that Japanese people agree with sports organizations that have decided to delay or cancel their sports events infamous professional leagues. Moreover, just less than half favored the cancellation of Spring Koshien and that the Olympics and Paralympics shul not be held in the coming months. The situation might mean that during this COVID-19 epidemic, Japanese people would still want to have Spring Koshien and the Olympics and Paralympics. While holding the event would save billions of dollars invested in the event preparations, it could further spread the virus through contacts among people from different geographic regions. The feeling of victory in sports is essential in driving particular diplomatic agendas. Hosting the event would also mean that any host country, which is Japan, to assert their dominance on the global stage. Different countries would also be provided with an avenue to interact and compete peacefully. Instead of going to war, the whole world watches the interaction of people who once disagreed on various issues.[Shimbun, Y. (2020, October 4). The Japan News - Breaking News from Japan by The Yomiuri Shimbun. ] [Tsutsui, William, and Michael Baskett. The East Asian Olympiads, 1934–2008: Building Bodies and Nations in Japan, Korea, and China. Global Oriental, 2011.]
2 Consequences of Postponing the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
Postponing the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics would have dire consequences on sports diplomacy. Postponing would mean ticket refunds, venue upkeep, rescheduling local events. There would be increased extra capital expenditures for stadiums and the sports arenas if the Olympics were put off for a while. Linked groups will need other additional investments to keep the companies in operation for the postponement period. As a result of a delay, the post-Olympic impacts will take a hit totaling billion. Identity and sports are particularly crucial for any nation. Countries use sports to create emotions, especially among rival countries who feel terrible when they lose. Sports have been used previously to fix the local or the host country's internal politics. The current politics in Japan could be calmed down by hosting an Olympic event. Postponing would mean continuous political disagreements internally and with the neighboring countries.[Cha, Victor D. Beyond the final score: The politics of sport in Asia. Columbia University Press, 2009.]
3 Consequences of Cancelling the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
While this year’s most significant danger to the domestic economy is the prolonged global COVID-19 outbreak, sports’ economic influence and diplomacy would be significantly impacted by the cancellation of Olympic games. Cancelation, on the brighter side, would mean complete avoidance of the grave danger COVID-19 poses. The total cost for organizing the event has been estimated at $12.6 billion. Considering the infrastructural and economic perspectives, the host countries of Olympic events exp...