The most unpopular games ever?

In less than 200 days, the rescheduled Olympic Games in Tokyo will begin, but among the Japanese public, the fear of the virus and the burgeoning cost of the games is that most people would rather see the event postponed or suspended altogether.

According to a survey published this week by the Japanese news agency Kyodo, about 80 percent of those surveyed said that the Olympics should not go ahead as planned.

“Given the current situation with coronavirus, I think it is more likely that we will not hold the Olympics, and I would rather the government at some point decide to suspend it,” Tokyo resident Hisashi Miyabe told Reuters.

“I think the interaction between humans will cause further spread of the coronavirus, and it is also more likely that the virus can mutate if the number of infections increases. I feel it is a little scary,” added Yuki Furusho, a student in the Japanese capital.

It comes after a state of emergency was declared in Tokyo on Friday, a day after the city saw a record number of 2,447 new Covid cases.