Exactly 24 hours after the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, videos and photos of a man who many thought was Thomas Bach circulated social media platforms in Japan. According to Simon Denyer, Bach, the IOC president was seen strolling outside the high-end stalls of Ginza.
Locals and foreigners who know Ginza say it is among the popular shopping centers in Tokyo. Although the man was strolling in Japan’s capital city, Tokyo, the story appeared on the Washington Post the following morning. While many people were still guessing who the writer of the article might be, the name of Simon Denyer appeared as the byline.
According to Simon Denyer, the pictures of the IOC president went viral for the wrong reasons. The Pulitzer Prize winner says that for many locals, the IOC president should not have strolled on one of Japanese high-end streets that day. Critics argued that the district contributed to the country getting the honor to host the international event.
However, instead of giving the locals a chance to enjoy and welcome visitors, they were barred from accessing the fields. In their view, Bach was enjoying the fruits of the local taxpayers who have worked hard to welcome tens of thousands of visitors.
On the Washington Post, Simon reported that Japanese taxpayers were taken to be of little value when they were barred yet the IOC president would be seen enjoying good moment in their district. On the positive side, Simon Denyer congratulates Japanese taxpayers saying that they showed incredible hospitality at a time the world is facing a global pandemic.
Denyer goes ahead to point out that although a majority of Japanese taxpayers was not allowed to access pitches, they have something to be proud of. “The Olympics put the Japanese people on the global map as the country that welcomed the rest of the world during the Covid-19 pandemic. Besides, tens of thousands of tourists who visited the country spent millions of dollars in Japanese towns.” Refer to this page for additional information.