Toyota has decided that it will not broadcast television commercials in Japan during the Olympics. Furthermore, its president will not attend the opening ceremony of the Games.
The decision of the car giant was confirmed by Toyota spokesman Shino Yamada, after being anticipated by the Japanese agency Kyodo News. Part of the reason President Akio Toyoda will not attend the opening ceremony is because no spectators will be admitted to the events, Yamada said.
The Games, which will start on Friday, will be the first to take place without spectators. Tokyo is grappling with a wave of coronavirus cases, which prompted the government to declare a fourth state of emergency in the capital earlier this month. The city reported 1,410 new infections on Saturday, the maximum number since last January 21.
There is growing concern about the spread of coronavirus infections among athletes, coaches and other Olympics-related staff.
Doubts about athletes’ testing strategy
An article in the Medical Journal of Australia stated that the currently planned daily athlete testing strategy may not be sufficient to prevent infections. “It is proposed that all 11,000 athletes gather each day in a dedicated testing area. inside the Olympic village ”, writes the scientific publication, but“ the possibility of transmission [del contagio] within this single position it is considerable ».
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The spokesperson: “there is a variable sentiment towards the Games”
Taka Masaya, a spokesperson for the Tokyo Games, said at a press conference that although he was unaware that Toyota would not air the commercials, the fact remains that “there is varying public sentiment towards games, ”“ Each company needs to understand how to get their messages across to their audience, ”Masaya said.
The front that opposes Tokyo 2020
A poll conducted by broadcaster JNN on July 3-4 found that 35% of respondents were in favor of an Olympics without spectators, while 26% wanted to allow some spectators to enter and 34% wanted to cancel competitions or Toyota said in June that he hoped to see audiences in stadiums and sports facilities. Other business leaders had also talked about the running of the Games. Masayoshi Son, the billionaire founder of SoftBank Group, had criticized the push to keep the Games, while Hiroshi Mikitani, chief executive of the online retailer Rakuten Group, in May compared them to a “suicide mission”. An editorial in the Asahi newspaper, another sponsor, had called for the games to be canceled.