By Lee San

Early 2019, I applied through the 2020 Tokyo Olympics organizing committee's official website as a volunteer. I knew my chances were slim, but still hoped I could have the honor to be a part of such an iconic international sporting event to be held in a city I'm very familiar with, Tokyo.

At the same time, over 11,000 eligible athletes from 206 countries and territories were preparing for the Games, in hope of giving their best shot in Tokyo. Indeed, these athletes had put in their max efforts to book their seats for the Games. That's why they had wanted so much to show off their physical prowess as well as skills at this most prestigious sporting event on the planet, better still if they could stand on the podium to receive a medal to make their countries proud.

It is therefore understandable that they were excessively excited. Indeed, as athletes, being able to contest in the Olympics had been their lifelong dream and honor they had fought tooth and nail for.

It's good to have a dream, because with dream comes the hope of success.

Unfortunately, the highly anticipated 32nd Summer Olympics was thwarted by an invisible virus. There was no way for the Games to be held in 2020, and whether it will be kicked off on July 23, 2021 remains questionable. Right at this very moment, both the Japanese government and the IOC are still struggling whether to go ahead with the Games, but whatever decision is made, they will all be on the losing side.

What about the feelings of the athletes? They are more anxious and uneasy than any of us, especially the contestants of individual events such as badminton players. Major qualifier tournaments are still running and the athletes' performance at these events will affect their points. If their points drop, they could get disqualified.

As a matter of fact, the athletes have been preparing for the Games for quite some time with the hope they can do their best in tip top conditions at Tokyo's stadia. Their physical and mental state could be compromised if the Games is delayed further. Such cruel reality is what outsiders like us will not get to understand. So, stay strong, athletes. Gambate!

The organizers may not be able to come up with a definite answer: Will the 2020 Games still be on if postponed beyond 2021 summer?

The priority considerations will be developments in the coronavirus pandemic as well as progress of immunization drive, before we can decide whether the Games should go on. If it goes ahead, will it be held without the audience or with attendance capped at 10,000 spectators?

The Japanese government has projected a loss of 700 billion yen if the Olympics is eventually called off, along with a direct impact on the country's economy that could lead to a complete meltdown.

In short, if the Olympics is canceled, the ensuing domino effect is unthinkable. That's why at this very minute Japanese prime minister Yoshihide Suga still insists that the show must go on.

As a recap, the 1940 summer Olympics supposed to be held in Tokyo was met with strong opposition from China and its allies following the Japanese invasion of Lugou Bridge on July 7, 1937. The Japanese government asserted that the Games would go on as scheduled. However in 1938, it announced to cancel the Games which was then rescheduled to be held in Helsinki. Eventually the 1940 Games was aborted following the eruption of the second world war, along with the 1944 London Games.

As a matter of fact, the earlier 1916 Games in Berlin was also canceled because of World War I.

It looks like the Tokyo Olympics could be canceled because of the "third world war" triggered by the current pandemic.

Actually the 1964 Games in Tokyo was perceived as a resounding success, having given rise to the Japanese bullet train, freeways and modern highrise towers, and catapulting the Japanese economy into the world's second largest.

This shows that the Japanese government is well aware of the tremendous spinoff from the Olympics, and will never want to kill this magnificent money spinner just because of the pandemic. The thing is, modern Olympics have always been an enormous and highly intricate money game where there are high gains and even higher risks.

For the upcoming Tokyo Games, Japan has prepared to showcase to the world its sophisticated 5G+8K video technologies and AI unmanned public transport vehicles, among others. This has helped the organizing committee secure over US$3.5 billion in sponsorship, with more set to follow. And because of this, the cost of financial loss and possibly lawsuits will be unimaginable if eventually the Games has to be dropped. Similarly, it will be a losing business if it goes on without an audience or with shrunk attendance.

In addition to time constraint, many athletes have made it clear that they might be forced to give up their eligibility if they are allowed to enter Japan only after being inoculated.

Stop making any more guesses! We'll know whether the show will go on or not by the end of this month.

(Lee San is Founder and Group Executive Chairman of Apple Vacations. He has traveled to 132 countries, six continents, and enjoys sharing his travel stories and insights. He has also authored five books.)