General Yuzuru Chat

[Fay]

8 minutes ago, hananistellata said:

I don't think they're gonna bring back the ISU Awards thing, if they were so persistent about it they would have probably tried to bring it back again this year. Hopefully they realised their mistake of spending so much money on marketing for them to receive barely anything in return. Their livestream only got a couple thousand views if I remember correctly, lol.

I wouldn’t count on their being sensible. But the pandemic might throw a few spanners into their works still. 
 

[Pammi]

Change of topic folks - Olympics (Tokyo, not Beijing) and Yuzuru's possible role as torch bearer.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/04/tokyo-cornered-into-going-ahead-with-games-says-olympic-official

 

 

This article is about the Tokyo Olympics and how the Japanese public have been ignored in their opposition to the Games going ahead - polls have shown between 60% and 80% of the public do not want the games to go ahead during this pandemic.  90,000 people will descend on Tokyo from all around the world whilst there is still likely to be a state of emergency in various regions. The health services there are already struggling to cope. 

 

Whilst reading the article I thought about the torch relay and previous mentions of Yuzuru being asked to do part of the relay, maybe even the final segment where the Olympic torch will be lit as the games open.  I realise this is yet another thing that could put Yuzuru in a tricky situation - wanting to do his duty for Japan, having a strong attachment to the Olympic ideal, and yet knowing that the majority of his people are against the games going ahead at all during the pandemic. 

Poor Yuzuru - what will he do I wonder? (if he has been asked to participate)  

 

 

Yet again, I feel a need to say whatever he decides I support him - its a bit of a "damned if he does, damned if he doesn't" situation.

 

EDIT: I see the Olympic torch will be in Miyagi 19th to 21st June, and in Tokyo 9th to 23rd July - Yuzuru is in DOI on 9th, 10th, 11th July. And this from a Reuters article Aug 2019 (so things may have changed...):

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wants the Games to showcase Japan’s recovery from the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and Fukushima nuclear crisis, fuelling speculation that the choice could be a young person or emerging athlete from the devastated northeast.

Olympic organizers say they will not reveal the final torchbearer’s identity until the torch arrives in the stadium on live television, watched by billions of spectators.

 

Seems primed for Yuzuru imo - he loves last minute stuff/ to surprise everyone!!

 

[micaelis]

I've just read Pammi's post dealing with the potential of Yuzu's participating in the opening ceremonies of the Tokyo Olympics.  Her conclusion was that Yuzu was in a lose/lose situation regarding his participating in the ceremony, due primarily to the fact that the Japanese public is overwhelmingly against having the Olympics.

 

First, as far as my understanding goes only Japanese and resident foreigners will be allowed as spectators.  Aside from the international press foreigners are basically not welcome for the games.  Because of the unpopularity of having the games go forward I think it almost certain that the Olympics organizers are looking for a very big Japanese athlete name to play a prominent part in the opening.  Well, if you are looking for a Japanese athlete with a widespread reputation and following Yuzuru Hanyu is about as big as they come.  For Yuzu, as Pammi noted, there is a conflict with his feelings of doing his duty, so typical of the average Japanese, or going with Japanese popular opinion, so the choice will not be an easy one to make.  Let us say he opts for duty, then the question is how might he be featured.  In an earlier post I made the argument that he could be the one who lights the great cauldron.  Responses made me realize that that was hardly likely, but one person said that he might be the one who hands the torch to the one designated to light the cauldron.  As I think about that I begin to think that that would be the most likely option.  The thing is, the Tokyo organizers need a really big name to give his blessing to the games and Yuzu has a tremendous influence on the average Japanese.

 

The one thing we must realize is that the games are not going to be canceled or postponed.  Quite simply, there's too much money involved and those kinds of issues are issues that must be addressed in any capitalist nation.  Yuzu's participation in the opening ceremony would do much to legitimize the games as viewed by the Japanese populace and that's why I fully expect  that we will see Yuzu there in one way or another.

[KendallKlaire]

10 minutes ago, micaelis said:

In an earlier post I made the argument that he could be the one who lights the great cauldron.  Responses made me realize that that was hardly likely, but one person said that he might be the one who hands the torch to the one designated to light the cauldron.  As I think about that I begin to think that that would be the most likely option.  The thing is, the Tokyo organizers need a really big name to give his blessing to the games and Yuzu has a tremendous influence on the average Japanese.

 

The one thing we must realize is that the games are not going to be canceled or postponed.  Quite simply, there's too much money involved and those kinds of issues are issues that must be addressed in any capitalist nation.  Yuzu's participation in the opening ceremony would do much to legitimize the games as viewed by the Japanese populace and that's why I fully expect  that we will see Yuzu there in one way or another.

I think it may have been me who said that Yuzu may be the last to handoff the torch to the cauldron lighter? I believe that is still the most likely possibility if Yuzu does not run with the torch in Miyagi which is certainly very possible. 

 

Right now there's no way the games will be cancelled and Japan's government also said that they cannot (or will not) postpone another year (though I'd love to have the winter and summer Olympics in the same year!) I also do not believe it's up to Japan to decide. It is up to the IOC and they will not cancel. Could the Japanese government or the JOC do something to cancel or postpone? Yes, but there's probably too much to lose at this point sadly. It's really not as easy as a lot of people think. 

 

The JOC definitely NEED an athlete whose popularity exceeds the Olympics themselves (and certainly the government and JOC) and given the most recent polls that is definitely Yuzuru. Yuzuru is not only an accomplished athlete, but represents the strength and resilience of the Japanese people in the wake of disaster. Not only that, he's young and very handsome with a solid international fanbase. The JOC NEEDS him to bolster their image if only a little, it may indeed help sooth some of the tension with the Olympics this year. I do believe Yuzu could refuse if they asked him but I suspect if they did ask him to be involved it was back in 2018 and they may have even made him sign a contract.  How would Yuzu have known about a pandemic then? (Sidenote: I did some very short-term contract work for the IOC and I KNOW that they will make you sign a contract for EVERYTHING).  If he is not already locked in contractually, then he may feel obligated to do it because he does need the support of the JOC. Remember how the JOC had 8 Korean bodyguards meet Yuzu at the airport? I think that the JOC and Yuzu do have a good relationship. If he doesn't do them a favor he may not get their support for Beijing (and we know that the JSF isn't really supporting Yuzu well either). 

 

There's just so much going on behind the scenes that it's really difficult to judge. In any case, I would not hold it against Yuzu if he did participate in the torch run or in the opening ceremony. I'm not sure what the Japanese general public will think though, but I hope they do see he may not have much of a choice. 

[barbara]

28 minutes ago, micaelis said:

I've just read Pammi's post dealing with the potential of Yuzu's participating in the opening ceremonies of the Tokyo Olympics.  Her conclusion was that Yuzu was in a lose/lose situation regarding his participating in the ceremony, due primarily to the fact that the Japanese public is overwhelmingly against having the Olympics.

 

First, as far as my understanding goes only Japanese and resident foreigners will be allowed as spectators.  Aside from the international press foreigners are basically not welcome for the games.  Because of the unpopularity of having the games go forward I think it almost certain that the Olympics organizers are looking for a very big Japanese athlete name to play a prominent part in the opening.  Well, if you are looking for a Japanese athlete with a widespread reputation and following Yuzuru Hanyu is about as big as they come.  For Yuzu, as Pammi noted, there is a conflict with his feelings of doing his duty, so typical of the average Japanese, or going with Japanese popular opinion, so the choice will not be an easy one to make.  Let us say he opts for duty, then the question is how might he be featured.  In an earlier post I made the argument that he could be the one who lights the great cauldron.  Responses made me realize that that was hardly likely, but one person said that he might be the one who hands the torch to the one designated to light the cauldron.  As I think about that I begin to think that that would be the most likely option.  The thing is, the Tokyo organizers need a really big name to give his blessing to the games and Yuzu has a tremendous influence on the average Japanese.

 

The one thing we must realize is that the games are not going to be canceled or postponed.  Quite simply, there's too much money involved and those kinds of issues are issues that must be addressed in any capitalist nation.  Yuzu's participation in the opening ceremony would do much to legitimize the games as viewed by the Japanese populace and that's why I fully expect  that we will see Yuzu there in one way or another.

The Olympics won't be cancelled because the IOC won't cancel or postpone them.  The host country (Japan, in this instance) has zero say over that decision.  The IOC has money involved and have already shown a disregard for the health and safety of athletes.  The only reason I can see for it going forward is for the athletes themselves, who have trained so hard for so song.

Yuzu may be a massive name and draw in Japan, but he is a skater.  Hasn't it been presumed that it would be a summer athlete who would light the cauldron? It really should be.

It's a lose/lose for Yuzu if he's asked to participate (duty versus strongly held belief that it shouldn't be happening - and also his health) and I truly hope they stick to summer athletes.

[IceWings]

11 minutes ago, barbara said:

The Olympics won't be cancelled because the IOC won't cancel or postpone them.  The host country (Japan, in this instance) has zero say over that decision.  The IOC has money involved and have already shown a disregard for the health and safety of athletes.  The only reason I can see for it going forward is for the athletes themselves, who have trained so hard for so song.

Yuzu may be a massive name and draw in Japan, but he is a skater.  Hasn't it been presumed that it would be a summer athlete who would light the cauldron? It really should be.

It's a lose/lose for Yuzu if he's asked to participate (duty versus strongly held belief that it shouldn't be happening - and also his health) and I truly hope they stick to summer athletes.

Rika and I think some of the other skaters were already part of the torch relay so it would be really odd if they left Yuzu out, so I'm sure he will have some role. I think it's unlikely that he will light the cauldron though. Someone mentioned previously that it would be cool if the biggest name in Winter Olympics hands the torch off to a famous Summer Olympian to light the cauldron, and I can see that happening. 

[liv]

I feel badly for Japan. They are basically being forced to continue to hold the Games, despite public opposition.

 

Having to be a summer athlete isn't a prerequisite anymore, didn't Maria Sharapova and Alina Kabaeva and Isinbaeva, all summer Games participants, appear in the stadium relay for Sochi? Historically they used to keep them separate, but it was notably ignored at those Games.

[micaelis]

If there are those concerned about Yuzu's vulnerability to COVID if he participates in the opening ceremony of the Olympics this summer they should rest easy.  As of June 1 all the Japanese athletes and support personnel are being vacinnated in anticipation of the games.  If he is being prominently shown in the opening ceremony you can be sure he is classified as 'support personnel'.  One sidenote here is that if he has been vaccinated he might have an opportunity to return to Toronto before the new season begins.  As for his possible involvement in the torch run through Sendai I would say that if this were an ordinary Olympics and not one devastated by the pandemic he would have been involved in Sendai, quite possibly either handing off or taking hold of the torch at IceRink Sendai.  That is not going to take place.  Those in charge of the games' public relations need him in a far more prominent place then in Sendai.  That's why if we are going to see him at all in the proceedings he will be part of the opening ceremony.  While most speculation has been involving him in the torch handling in the stadium another thought has come to me and correct me if I am mistaken, but at some point in the proceedings there is someone who leads the assembled athletes in the taking of the Olympic Oath.  I'm not sure whether that person has to be one of the athletes or someone not competing administering the oath.  If the opening is left open to those not participating Yuzu's moral stature and his stature as a totally dedicated athlete would make him the ideal choice.  This is just speculation on my part so I am ready to accept correction but the use of Yuzu here would have even more impact than if he were to hand the torch to the final torchbearer.

[Pammi]

1 hour ago, micaelis said:

The thing is, the Tokyo organizers need a really big name to give his blessing to the games and Yuzu has a tremendous influence on the average Japanese.

Yes, exactly my thoughts too - even if a high percentage of Japanese people are against the games, so many will watch the opening especially if there is a chance of seeing Yuzuru, he is so adored! Then, once people are hooked (I know I will be, Olympic games are just so special) they will be come back for more.....

I also think Yuzuru WILL participate if asked to do so. Another possibility is that he could be in the Miyagi part of the torch relay, but he is such a big Olympic name I think like @micaelis that he will be part of the last bit of the relay.

 

 

[Paskud]

Now I'm imagining all the famous Japanese summer athletes during last torch relay, for whom running is the most normal thing in the world, and then Zuzuru and his limp wrists.🙈

[Pammi]

Error/post deleted (well I didnt like what I wrote)

[rockstaryuzu]

10 hours ago, Sha said:

 

Perhaps he will reveal that he has started a charity in secret!

Actually,  that wouldn't surprise me at all. It would fit with his good character.

[amylance1215]

38 minutes ago, rockstaryuzu said:

Actually,  that wouldn't surprise me at all. It would fit with his good character.

Or he would proudly say that he finally finished that Pokemon game he had been wanting to play. Anything goes really but we can count on it being something trivial 

 

This thread is great! Yuzu has so many great pictures. He's super photogenic, I'm so envious 

Spoiler

 

 

 

[Yuzurella]

15 hours ago, IceWings said:

Imagine the SNS meltdown if Yuzu did that. 

 

 

He needs 6 kids, one for each jump, just like the fan arts. 

 

In some fanarts, there's a mini Yuzu for every single one of his programs!

 

18 hours ago, rockstaryuzu said:

Definitely not, if he could help it. Just one day he'd be rinkside with three mini-Yuzus and a wife in tow... and all 3 kids with Axels from the moment they could toddle.

 

Yuzu's kids would learn to Axel before they would learn how to walk.

 

Regarding Yuzu revealing something about himself, well, I actually would want to know what happened to his original Pooh and why the old guy retired. That's probably the most private thing we could get from Yuzu. Or perhaps it's something along the lines of how he finally learned how to make gyoza himself. Or that except for strawberries, he also loves blueberries very much.

 

On the topic of the Olympics, I think it's very likely that Yuzu will play a prominent role in the opening considering his achievements as an thlete and also his popularity and importance in Japan. As far as I know, taking the Olympic oath has to be done by an athlete who participates in the games and represents all participating athletes. So, Yuzu won't be the one doing that.

 

He will probably not be the one who lights the cauldron either. I believe that will be done by an accomplished summer games athlete who is already retired. I think Yuzu might possibly be the last torchbearer and the one who hands the torch to the person who will light the cauldron.

 

Either way, it's quite a pity the Olympic Games won't be the way the were intended to be. I do hope that the pandemic situation will be better in Tokyo and all of Japan by then.

[sweetwater]

I thought about posting this when the last time this became a topic of conversation. I didn't because firstly, I don't like to argue over a prediction, and secondary, it was basically about the Olympics, not about Yuzu. However, reading the conversation above, I wanted to share my view. It is long and not fun, so I am going to put it in a spoiler.

 

Spoiler

Our government and the OC used to promote Tokyo2020 as the "Recovery Olympics," but it has become less connected to 311 as the pandemic proceeded. 

In 2018, Mansai Nomura, the chief executive creative director of the opening ceremony at that time, said that the spirit of "Requiem and rebirth" would be the theme of the ceremony. However, the theme has shifted to something else since the pandemic. Last July, the OC released a promotional clip directed by Hiroshi Sasaki, one of the creative directors of the opening ceremony and the director of the flag handover ceremony at Rio2016. The promo clip featured Olympic swimmer Rikako Ikee who had been suffering from leukemia since 2019. Its focus was on athletes enduring under this circumstance and the people supporting them. Then in the autumn, PM Suga said that the Olympics would be held as "proof that humanity had overcome COVID." At the end of the year, the OC disbanded the team led by Mansai and appointed Sasaki, the director of the promotional clip for the new chief director, although he had to quit over a scandal a few months later.

 

In March, Kahoku Shinpo, a local newspaper based in Sendai, published a column.

Here is my translation:

 

"It will be held as proof that humanity has defeated the new coronavirus." Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga repeatedly said this toward the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics this summer, which has been postponed for one year from the original schedule. The wording surprised us and made us feel uneasy because it was detached from reality.

We had the same feelings during the campaign to host the Olympics.  Shinzo Abe, the Prime Minister at that time, said in his speech, "Fukushima is under control," while it still bears the huge scars from the accident that occurred in TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, and many affected people are still unable to return to their home.

What gave the sense of aversion in both cases was their stance of prioritizing holding the Olympics. The current situation appears to be no different. While the spread of new coronavirus infection has not yet subsided, the preparation for the Olympics proceeds, focusing on how it can be held.

Allowing general spectators from overseas, which had been the biggest challenge, was abandoned.  On 25th, the torch relay is going to start in J-Village, a soccer facility in Naraha and Hirono, Fukushima. In a national telephone poll conducted by Kyodo News in February, over 80 percent of the respondents were still calling for a review on holding the Olympics this summer.

"It's time to cancel this year's Olympic Games." At the beginning of this month, The Times published a column with such title. It also says, "The risk is too big not only for Japan but also for the world," and, "No matter what measures will be taken, people will get infected, and some may die." How should Japan respond to the anxiety of the world? We have numerous challenges and bear a heavy responsibility."

 

Original:

河北春秋(3/21)：「人類が新型コロナウイルスに打ち勝った証…

https://kahoku.news/articles/20210320khn000066.html

 

 

I quote Kahoku because it is a media of where Yuzu lives, but I believe many Japanese are more or less feeling this way, regardless of where they live. If the OC expects that they can defuse such sentiments by using a popular athlete, I would say they are incompetent and cruel because there is a conflict of interest between athletes and other people regarding the Olympics. I am not sure if international media has reported this, but Kohei Uchimura has been harshly criticized for asking people to change their mindset and try to figure out a way to hold the Olympics instead of just saying it would be impossible. Rikako Ikee was asked to withdraw from the Olympics on Twitter after she won an Olympic berth. Before the pandemic, people were cheering for them as they were fighting with injuries and disease. Of course, fans are still supporting them, but others are becoming less supportive because they see Olympics as a hindrance. IOC assuring the vaccination for the participants while saying the Japanese would endure with patience is making the situation worse. 

 

If I could choose between drought and seeing Yuzu in the Olympic-related event, I would choose the former. I would rather worry about Yuzu working on 4A than worry about Yuzu in a rock-and-a-hard-place situation to save the situation for IOC or our government. If he takes a role in it, he would definitely try his best to make the action meaningful, but it is IOC and our government who can truly make the situation less hell-ish, and they are responsible to do so.  As a starter, I would like IOC to stop allowing drinking in the Olympic Village if they have no plan to cancel the event.

 

Sorry for the long rant. 

 

Reference:

Presentation by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the 125th Session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)

https://japan.kantei.go.jp/96_abe/statement/201309/07ioc_presentation_e.html

 

リオオリンピック 閉会式 - 「Rio to Tokyo」Rio Olympic

 

野村萬斎「鎮魂と再生の精神を生かす」東京2020開閉会式の記者会見

https://natalie.mu/stage/news/293399

 

Olympics: "Requiem and rebirth" will be theme of Tokyo 2020: team

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2018/07/c80ba1ae46d2-olympics-tokyo-2020-creative-team-to-showcase-japanese-spirit.html

 

⼀年後へ。⼀歩進む。～＋１（プラスワン）メッセージ～ TOKYO2020

 

 

菅首相「東京五輪、人類がコロナに打ち勝った証に」開催に改めて意欲　施政方針演説

https://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/80572

 

Japan’s Suga tells UN Tokyo is ‘determined’ to host Olympics

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/9/26/japans-suga-tells-un-tokyo-is-determined-to-host-olympics

 

内村航平「どうやったらできるか」五輪開催へ使命感
https://www.nikkansports.com/sports/news/202011080001107.html

 

野村萬斎氏「苦渋の決断だが納得した」旧体制の解散

https://www.nikkansports.com/olympic/tokyo2020/news/202012230000832.html

 

Reorganization of the opening and closing ceremony production team for the Olympics, leaving Mansai Nomura and others –Tokyo Olympics 2020: Nikkan Sports

https://www.world-today-news.com/reorganization-of-the-opening-and-closing-ceremony-production-team-for-the-olympics-leaving-mansai-nomura-and-others-tokyo-olympics-2020-nikkan-sports/

 

Tokyo Olympics will show victory against coronavirus: Japan PM Suga

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210118/p2g/00m/0na/091000c

 

It's time to cancel this year's Olympic Games

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/its-time-to-cancel-the-2021-olympic-games-3pb6sq9w9

 

Editorial: Top planner again makes mockery of Tokyo Games' 'Unity in Diversity' principle

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210322/p2a/00m/0op/008000c

 

池江璃花子に五輪辞退求める声「私は何も変えられない」ＳＮＳで思い吐露
https://www.nikkansports.com/olympic/tokyo2020/swimming/news/202105070001212.html