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Contact is being minimized at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics because of the pandemic. Spectators aren’t allowed to attend the events, leaving the stadiums 96 percent empty. Considering that interaction with cheering fans gives athletes a major morale boost, the new environment could be a factor in the outcome of the events. These are uncharted waters for the games.

The era of social distancing was evident in the games’ opening ceremony. The athletes stuck in solitary training regimens during COVID were represented by a man running on a treadmill, while our determination to overcome this unprecedented pandemic was expressed in the opening ceremony’s themes of “united through emotion” and “stronger together.” The performance in the opening ceremony in which points coalesce into lines that form a network conveying energy to athletes illustrated our desire to return to our normal routines.

It may be that even a low-contact Olympics is so inspiring because of the contact orientation of sports. US broadcaster NBC expects to make record profits from the Tokyo Olympics. While it’s impossible to watch the games in person, more money may be spent on broadcasting them.

In South Korea, there’s less interest in the Olympics than there used to be, but the South Korea-Romania football match was over 30 percent in the Nielsen TV ratings. Fans who are sapped by the sweltering heat can blow off some steam by watching the Olympic games.

This helps us understand why the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was so determined to hold the Olympics one way or another. Once the games are underway, they move forward through an inertia of their own, regardless of the numerous concerns surrounding them.

That also relieves the IOC of the huge financial burden it would have incurred had the games been called off.

Since we’re still at an early stage of the games, there’s no telling how they’ll play out. The threat of COVID is ever-present, and public opinion toward the games in Japan isn’t positive.

But the essence of the Olympics — and of sports itself — is gripping the edge of your seat as you watch your countrymen and women competing with people from other countries.

Sports are full of drama and pathos, even during a low-contact Olympics. Fans get absorbed in the games because of the unpredictable performative power inherent to sports.

Just as the opening ceremony began with a scene depicting the seeds of hope, I hope these low-contact Olympics will inspire us to think about peace, hope and solidarity with people around the world.

By Kim Chang-keum, senior staff writer

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