10,000 Volunteers Drop Out as Tokyo Olympics Open in 50 Days

It’s really coming down to the wire when the Olympics begin. However, 10,000 volunteers said they will not participate when the games start. Here are the highlights:

• A good bulk of the volunteers that have stepped out said they won’t participate due to the risks of Covid. A lot of them haven’t been vaccinated. 
• Not to mention, the rollout of vaccinations has been very slow with about 3% of people fully inoculated.
• IOC expects 80% of athletes and residents in the Olympic Village to be fully vaccinated. The organizers spoke on the volunteers dropping out saying that they not only had concerns about the virus but the timing after their work shift and even changes in their environments were factors.
• Even with the loss of these volunteers, things will still go on accordingly said the organizers. Unpaid volunteers are a key component of the games because they save the organization millions of dollars.
• Organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto promises to protect the health of the athletes. 
• The support of the games by the general population wavers between 50% to 80 with the general consensus of people wanting the games postponed. 
• It’s going to be challenging especially with so many overseas players because they may pose a risk by carrying variants. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out in just 50 days to go.