Photo/Illutration The “Playbook” for Olympic athletes and officials outlines what they are required to do if they test positive for the novel coronavirus. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

British skeet shooter Amber Hill was scheduled to compete in her first event at the Tokyo Olympics on July 25.

But on July 20, after she had finished packing for her trip to Tokyo, Hill’s results of a daily test for the novel coronavirus came back positive, forcing her to withdraw from the Games.

Hill, 23, had never expected to become infected with the virus. She told a British newspaper that she took five tests, but the results were the same.

In a social media post, Hill wrote “Broken.” She probably meant that her heart and dream had both been shattered.

The photo she posted features cherry blossoms, a Buddhist temple and Mount Fuji, indicating how she had put her heart and soul into her performance at the Tokyo Olympics.

Forty-one years ago, many athletes preparing to participate in the Moscow Olympics shed tears of disappointment as Western countries, along with Japan, decided to boycott the Games at the last moment after the former Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan.

In a survey conducted years later, Japanese athletes who were supposed to compete in Moscow described their feelings in deeply poignant words.

“You lose if you don’t stand at the venue for competition,” one commented.

“I don’t want to recall (the experience). Please don’t make me (remember),” said another.

Though their experience was also tragic, it is more distressing to see athletes being abruptly forced to withdraw from an Olympics due to becoming infected with a coronavirus.

The situation was predictable when the decision was made to hold the event amid the pandemic. Still, I have no words to console heartbroken athletes as they are robbed of an opportunity to compete even if they may end up as a loser. 

Organizers promised to ensure a safe and secure Games by creating isolation “bubbles” for Olympic athletes and officials, but the strategy is already fraying at the edges. The number of Games-related COVID-19 cases has topped 120.

Watching athletes compete fiercely in contact sports also makes me feel concerned about the situation in the coming weeks.

A Chilean athlete who tested positive after arriving in Japan was forced to withdraw from the Olympics.

In her social media post, the athlete said nothing is tougher than life, adding that what is important is how hard you resist and keep moving forward.

No amount of care can prevent such a tragedy. I just hope that devastated athletes will start walking again with their chins up.

--The Asahi Shimbun, July 25

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.