IS SPORTS PERFORMANCE AFFECTED BY THE TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS AND INFECTIOUS PREVENTION POLICY DURING PANDEMIC? A CASE OF 2020 TOKYO OLYMPIC GAMES

Abstract

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries have taken various measures to confine the epidemic such as border closure, reducing flights and different policies on quarantine [1], but the condition is still not under complete control. The 32nd Summer Olympic Games, originally scheduled to be held in 2020, were postponed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, the games began on July 23, 2021, lasted 15 days and drew to a close on August 8. Participants and equipment from more than 200 countries were transported to Tokyo which caused a slight increase in airline business and strict policies were applied. However, with the spread of the Delta variant and the booming surge of confirmed cases in Japan, the Olympics faced unprecedented challenges. Therefore, it is debatable to what extent the performance of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games had been affected by the global pandemic, strict travel restrictions, and continued infections.