TOKYO, Japan – The countdown clock in Tokyo is coming down to its final moments.
Only a few hours away from the opening ceremony: the official start of the 2020 Olympic Games.
On Thursday, Olympic officials announced they would allow 950 non-athletes to attend the opening ceremony. That would include Olympic officials, journalists, politicians, and dignitaries like First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, who is leading the U.S. delegation in Tokyo. This is Biden’s first solo international trip as the first lady.
Competition has already begun in several sports but what about the threat of a last-second cancellation that came from a Japanese Olympic official earlier this week?
“I think it would be a big problem if it’s canceled,” said Attuned.ai CEO Casey Wahl, an American who has lived in Tokyo for the past 21 years.
Wahl was raised in Houston and Austin and his parents still live in Spring. The UT grad said while the country has deep worries about the pandemic they have a lot riding on the Olympic Games.
“I think what most people are worried about in Japan is, they’re in a tough situation,” Wahl said. “How can we show Japan’s a great country? We’re open. We’re welcoming. We’re responsible. We’re thoughtful. We have this great infrastructure and great technology. But all the kind of media and the story is it should be canceled.”