The Guardian view on the Tokyo Olympics: must the show go on?

With coronavirus surging in Japan and internationally, this summer's Games are a risky prospect

As coronavirus swept the globe last spring, Japan portrayed the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics until this summer as an opportunity as well as a necessity. The delayed Games would be the light at the end of the tunnel; a celebration of humanity's victory over Covid.

With around 100 days to go, that promise now looks not merely optimistic, but flat wrong. The Olympics are approaching amid a resurgence of the virus and the opposition of the vast majority of the host nation. Grumbles are a familiar part of the Games cycle, dispelled as momentum builds in the final weeks. But the current concerns go far beyond the usual worries about slow ticket sales or uncompleted venues.