Taking a Leap with the Kitakyushu Model
2021 Artistic and Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships
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On the heels of the spectator-free Tokyo Olympics, Kitakyushu City hosted two world championships in October 2021, becoming the only major international sporting events in Japan since the Olympics to date.
Searching for ways to balance international sporting events against the COVID-19 pandemic, the organizers achieved to welcome athletes from across the globe, while admitting spectators to a maximum capacity through various measures, including the use of vaccine and test packages, requests regarding the number of individuals per squad, and the implementation of a bubble system.
As a result, only three out of the over one thousand two hundred participants from abroad tested positive during the competition, with zero positive cases among the local personnel and audience. Close to 26,000 spectators attended the two events, with hardly any hitches during the entry process.
The implemented COVID-19 countermeasures garnered attention as the “Kitakyushu Model.”
Through interviews, we witness the challenges faced by the organizers in getting the events off the ground.
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