敗局?當奧運因事延期時

真外刊精讀 | 敗局?當奧運因事延期時

翻譯 | 沈笑煜

真外刊精读 | 败局?当奥运因事延期时

Thursday, March 26,2020

By Aimee Lewis, CNN

It was meant to be the first Games to be held beyond Europe and North America, a spectacle to showcase to the world that Tokyo had overcome the earthquake that had devastated the city some years earlier. But the 1940 Olympics was the Games that never was.

那本應是首次在歐洲與北美以外的地區舉辦奧運會,屆時東京將向世界展示其已然從數年前一場使其元氣大傷的地震中振作起來,重煥生機。但1940年奧運會未能如人所願。

No-one aged under 80 had ever lived through a time when the Olympics was postponed or canceled until Tuesday's announcement that Tokyo 2020, originally scheduled to start this July, will now be held next year.

80歲以下的人原本從未經歷過奧運會推遲或取消的時刻,但直到本週二宣佈原定於今年7月開始的2020年東京奧運會將於明年舉行,他們第二次見證了延期的歷史重現。

As a pandemic takes hold of the world and the International Olympic Committee and Tokyo 2020 organizers grapple with the complicated logistics involved in holding the greatest show on earth later than planned, a look at the past throws up some uncanny similarities between now and what has been described by some as the Lost Games of 1940.

隨著一場流行病席捲全球,國際奧林匹克委員會(以下簡稱奧委會)和2020年東京奧運會承辦方面臨著這場延期舉行的世界體壇盛會所需複雜物流的挑戰。回顧過往,不難發現當前情勢與一些人所言“敗局”——日本棄辦的1940年奧運會之間有一些不可思議的相似之處。

真外刊精读 | 败局?当奥运因事延期时
真外刊精读 | 败局?当奥运因事延期时

At a Christmas party in Tokyo, on the right is a large cake withthe inscription 1940 XII Olympiad Tokyo to celebrate the upcoming Olympics inJapan. Sueddeutsche Zeitung photo/Alamy Stock Photo

在東京的一個聖誕派對上,右側大蛋糕上寫著“1940年第十二屆東京奧林匹克運動會”,以慶祝即將到來的日本奧運會。南德報紙(Sueddeutsche Zeitungphoto)/阿拉米圖庫(Alamy Stock Photo)(資料圖)

Before the 2020 Olympics was postponed, sport's biggest extravaganza has been called off three times in modern history, all in wartime, and the last time being the year Tokyo was supposed to be the host city.

在2020年奧運會延期之前,現代歷史上最隆重的體育盛會曾因戰爭取消過三次,最後一次是東京本應成為主辦城市的那一年(1940年)。

It was the success of Japan's athletes at the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles and international criticism of the country's invasion of Manchuria in 1931, as the Japanese empire continued to expand into China, which helped persuade the country's government to fully support an Olympic bid, something which had previously been the preserve of elite cities in the west.

基於日本運動員在1932年洛杉磯奧運會的精彩表現,以及日本帝國加快向中國擴張的步伐,於1931年入侵滿洲而遭到國際社會批評,日本政府決定全力支持申辦奧運會工作。此前申奧曾是西方城市的專屬。

Japan's male swimmers had dominated in LA and, as David Goldblatt writes in his book "The Games": "The correlation between international prestige and Olympic achievement... made the idea of a Japanese Olympics first plausible, then desirable and, finally, an essential element of foreign policy."

日本男子游泳運動員曾在洛杉磯奧運會中大放異彩,正如大衛·戈德布拉特(David Goldblatt)在《奧運會》(The Games)一書中所述:“國際聲望與奧運成就之間的緊密聯繫……致使日本舉辦奧運會的想法最初看似可行,繼而可取,最終成為對外政策中極其重要的組成部分。”

Just as the 2020 Olympics were billed as the "Recovery Olympics" nine years after the Fukushima disaster, Nagata Hidejiro, the mayor of Tokyo, had first announced in 1930 a bid for the 1940 Games, envisioning the Olympics as a way of aiding the city's recovery from the earthquake of 1923, which had destroyed much of the metropolitan region.

正如2020年東京奧運會被稱為福島災難(2011年福島核洩漏重大事故)時隔9年後“助力城市復興的奧運”,1930年東京市長長田英治(Nagata Hidejiro)宣佈申辦1940年奧運會,其基本設想是,舉辦奧運會能幫助東京從1923年大地震中恢復生機——那次地震對東京大部分地區造成嚴重破壞。

真外刊精读 | 败局?当奥运因事延期时

Yasuji Myiazaki of Japan on his way to a gold medal in the 100mfreestyle swimming event at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. The 15-year-old seta new Olympic record of 58.0 seconds in the semi-final. (Photo byKeystone/Getty images) Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty images

1932年洛杉磯奧運會上,日本選手Yasuji Myiazaki在100米自由泳比賽中獲得金牌。這位15歲的少年在半決賽中以58.0秒的成績刷新該項目奧運紀錄。(圖片來源:Keystone/HultonArchive/Getty images)

An Olympics in Tokyo in 1940 would also coincide with the 2,600th anniversary ofEmperor Jimmu's mythical accession and the foundation of the nation. Goldblatt described it as the "perfect notion around which to build support for a Japanese Olympics in an increasingly nationalist culture."

1940年東京奧運會原定與神武天皇登基、日本建國2600週年慶典同時舉行。戈德布拉特(Goldblatt)將其描述為“在民族主義日益高漲的文化背景下,為日本舉辦奧運會提供支持的完美精神信念”。

真外刊精读 | 败局?当奥运因事延期时

In the 1930s, Japan had Olympic pedigree. In 1912, it had become the first non-European/American country to participate in the Olympics and, significantly, also had delegates on the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

日本奧運淵源可追溯到上世紀30年代之前。1912年,它成為第一個參加奧林匹克運動會的非歐洲/美洲國家,更重要的是,國際奧委會(IOC)有它的代表。

"Japan had been agitating to hold the Games in the early 1930s," William Kelly, Sumitomo Professor of Japanese Studies at Yale University, tells CNN.

“日本在20世紀30年代初,一直在鼓動舉辦奧運會。” 長期從事日本研究的耶魯大學住友名譽教授威廉·凱利(William Kelly)告訴CNN。

真外刊精读 | 败局?当奥运因事延期时

The Japanese athletic delegation marches during the opening ceremony of the 1912 Olympics Games in Stocholm, Sweden, which marked Japan's first Olympic appearence. The sign holder was marathon runner Shiso Kanaguri (R front). (Photo by Kyodo NewsStill via Getty images) Kyodo News/Getty Images

上圖是日本體育代表團在1912年瑞典首都斯德哥爾摩奧運會開幕式上的遊行場景,標誌著日本首次現身現代奧運會。右前方舉旗手是馬拉松運動員Shiso Kanaguri。(照片由共同社提供,由蓋蒂圖片社提供)

Judo pioneer and IOC member Baron Jigoro Kano is widely believed to have played a major role in Japan's bid, giving a keynote speech to the IOC at the end of the 1932 Games.

現代柔道先驅、國際奧委會委員嘉納治五郎被認為在日本申奧過程中發揮了重要作用,他在1932年奧運會閉幕時向國際奧委會發表了主旨演講。

In this context, the 1940 Olympics was "instrumental in legitimizing the IOC rhetoric that the Olympic movement was universal," writes Dr. Sandra Collins in her book "The 1940 Tokyo Games: The Missing Olympics."

在該背景下,1940年奧運會“有助於使國際奧委會關於奧林匹克運動具有普遍性的言論合法化”,桑德拉·柯林斯博士(Dr. Sandra Collins)在她的書《1940年東京奧運會:擦肩而過的奧運會》中如是寫道。

While liberals had visions of a global festival, Japan's government saw the benefits of hosting the Olympics differently, as an opportunity to influence a world dominated by the west.

自由主義者將舉辦奧運視作一次國際活動,日本政府則認為,承辦奧運會將是影響由西方主導世界局面的契機

In the first half of the century, the country was committed to maintaining and strengthening its position as its region's lead and during the Great Depression there was a growing belief that Japan would solve its economic problems through military conquests.

在20世紀上半葉,日本致力於鞏固區域地位,並加強其作為東亞領導者的角色。在“經濟大蕭條”期間,越來越多的人相信日本將通過軍事征服來解決其經濟問題。

But Tokyo was not guaranteed to win the race to host in 1940. Rome and Helsinki were the city's main rivals, with the Italian capital regarded the favorite.

但東京不能保證贏得1940年奧運的主辦權。羅馬和赫爾辛基是東京的主要競爭城市,意大利首都羅馬被認為是最受歡迎的。

So in 1935, Japan's IOC member Sugimura Yataro traveled to Italy to visit the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini to ask Rome to withdraw its bid.

因此,1935年,日本國際奧委會委員杉村雅太郎前往意大利,拜訪法西斯獨裁者貝尼託·墨索里尼(Benito Mussolini),要求羅馬撤回申奧舉辦1940年奧運會的申請。

In the you-scratch-my-back kind of deal that has become the norm in international sports politics,Mussolini announced with usual candour, 'We will waive our claim for 1940 in favour of Japan if Japan will support Italy's effort to get the XIII the Olympiad for Rome in 1944," writes Goldblatt.

戈德布拉特(Goldblatt)寫道:“在 ‘今日你幫我忙,明日我就助你一臂之力’的交易在國際體育政治成為常態時,墨索里尼一如既往地坦率宣佈,‘如果日本支持意大利爭取1944年在羅馬舉辦第十三屆奧運會,我們將放棄1940年對日本提議的索賠’。”

真外刊精读 | 败局?当奥运因事延期时

Benito Mussolini withdrew Rome's bid for the 1940 Games. Courtesy of Alamy

貝尼託·墨索里尼取消羅馬1940年申奧計劃。阿拉米圖庫提供

真外刊精读 | 败局?当奥运因事延期时

During the conclusion of the 1936 Olympics, the Ga-mes that had been the Nazi power show, the IOC awarded 1940 to Tokyo, with the Japanese capital receiving 37 votes to Helsinki's 26. Four years after Nazi Germany had hosted the Olympics, Japan—a country already regarded as an imperial aggressor—was set to also have its time in the sporting limelight.

1936年柏林奧運會是納粹籠罩下集權主義形式美的集中表現。柏林奧運會結束時,國際奧委會將1940年夏季奧運會主辦權授予了東京——日本首都東京獲得37票,芬蘭首都赫爾辛基獲得26票。在納粹德國主辦奧運會四年後,日本——一個已被視為帝國侵略者的國家——也將成為世界體壇的焦點。

And in 1938, a year after Japan had invaded China, the IOC awarded the Winter Olympics to the Japanese city of Sapporo.

1938年,即日本全面入侵中國一年後,國際奧委會(IOC)將冬奧會舉辦權授予日本城市札幌。

真外刊精读 | 败局?当奥运因事延期时

(L to R) Sliver medalist Jack Medica of the United States, gold medalist Noboru Teada of Japanand bronze medalist Shumpei Uto of Japan pose on the podium during the medalceremony for Swimming Men's 1,500m Freestyle during the Berlin Olympic at Swimming Stadium on August 15, 1936 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images) The Asahi Shimbun/Getty

這是1936年8月15日,在德國柏林某游泳館舉行的柏林奧運會男子1500米自由泳頒獎儀式。領獎臺上從左往右依次是美國銀牌獲得者傑克·梅爾卡(Jack Medica)、日本金牌獲得者諾博魯·泰達(Noboru Teada)和日本銅牌獲得者熊皮·烏託(Shumpei Uto)。(照片源自《朝日新聞》,通過蓋蒂圖片社提供)

But that same year, with major countries threatening to boycott as Japan's ferocious destruction of Chinese cities was reported in the American and European press, the Japanese government forfeited the right to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics.

但在同年,歐美媒體報道了日本對中國城市的猛烈破壞。隨著世界主要國家抵制日本侵略行為,日本政府失去了主辦夏季奧運會和冬季奧運會的權利。

Embroiled in a war with China and knowing a global conflict was on the horizon, the military government passed the National Mobilization Act.

由於捲入了與中國的戰爭,全球衝突爆發在即,日本軍政府通過了《國家動員法》。

"Three months later, with little fanfare, the Japanese pleaded the need for 'the spiritual and material mobilization of Japan' and relinquished the 1940 games," writes Goldblatt.

“三個月後,日本方面低調地要求‘精神物質的全國性動員’,並放棄舉辦1940年的奧運會。”戈德布拉特這樣寫道。

"The suspension can't be separated from the 1936 Olympics," reasons Kelly. "The Americans, the British and French started talking about boycotting the 1940 Olympics because they felt they had been badly used by Hitler in staging this enormous propaganda Games so it was really the Berlin Olympics effect that caused the Japanese government to withdraw its bid. Japan knew it would be worse to put on the Games without the major powers."

凱利解釋說:“這次停賽與1936年柏林奧運會有莫大關聯。由於英美法三國意識到自己被希特勒利用來舉辦這場聲勢浩大的具有宣傳效益的體育盛會,他們開始考慮抵制1940年東京奧運會。因此,真正導致日本政府撤回申辦訴求的是柏林奧運會的影響。日本深知如果沒有主要大國參加奧運會,情況會更糟。”

The IOC proceeded to award the 1940 Games to Helsinki, but the Soviet Union's invasion of Finland in November 1939 ended any hope of holding an Olympics that year. Much like in 2020, the IOC held on in hope until succumbing to the inevitable.

國際奧委會隨後將1940屆奧運會主辦權授予芬蘭赫爾辛基。但蘇聯於1939年11月入侵芬蘭,致使當年舉辦奧運會的希望化為泡影。與2020年一樣,國際奧委會抱著希望一直堅持(不延期),但最終屈服於避無可避的世界性事件。

真外刊精读 | 败局?当奥运因事延期时

Tokyo's preparation for the 1940 Games had been "quite considerable," says Kelly, with significant economic investment made on infrastructure projects, such as transportation, sanitation and the building of hotels.

凱利說,東京為舉辦1940年奧運會所作準備“相當充分”,在交通、衛生和酒店建設等基礎設施項目上開展了高額的經濟投資。

"The local businesses that had been persuaded to invest heavily in facilities, in providing goods and services for the Games found themselves without a prospective customer base, so the business community was upset in Tokyo but this was at a time when you could not really express anger at the government," explains Kelly, arguing the country suffered more politically than economically in 1940.

凱利認為日本在1940年遭受的政治損失遠大於經濟損失:“政府說服當地企業大力投資各項基礎設施建設,為奧運會提供商品和服務。到頭來這些企業卻發現自己不具備被承諾的未來潛在客戶群,因此整個東京商界倍感不安。但值此特殊時期,他們無法表達對政府決策的憤怒。”

"You're not able to use the largest mega event in the world in order to demonstrate to the rest of the world what a great country you are," he adds.

“不能以世界上規模最大的活動來向世界展示自己是一個多麼偉大的國家。”凱利補充道。

As the impact of postponing Tokyo 2020 is calculated, it's worth remembering that the Olympics in the 1920s and 1930s were a different animal to the billion-dollar movement we are familiar with today.

在估量2020年東京奧運會延期所帶來的影響時,我們有必要注意,上世紀二三十年代的奧運會與今天所熟悉的投資數十億美元的奧運會完全是兩碼事。

真外刊精读 | 败局?当奥运因事延期时

A general view of the 1940 Tokyo Olympic Organising Committee meeting, when the forfeiture of the1940 Tokyo Olympic was decided, at Mantesu Kaikan, on July 16, 1938 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by the Asahi Shimbun via Getty images) The Asahi Shimbun/GettyImages

1938年7月16日,在日本東京舉行的1940年東京奧運會組委會會議上,決定取消1940年東京奧運會主辦權。(照片源自《朝日新聞》,由蓋蒂圖片社提供)

David Wallechinsky, president of the International Society of Olympic Historians (ISOH), tells CNN Sport: "There wasn't this huge emphasis that this is it, this is the Olympics. "

國際奧林匹克史學家協會(ISOH)主席大衛·瓦勒欽斯基(David Wallechinsky)告知CNN體育頻道:“不必這樣特別強調(投資金額),但這就是它,這就是奧運會。”

"In '48 when the Games came back after 12 years people were just happy to have it happen at all. Of course, the introduction of the television, when people could watch it live, or at least follow a daily report, in the '60s, it was a whole other deal. "

“在1948年,人們很高興看到奧運會時隔12年後再次舉辦。當然,隨著60年代電視技術高速發展與電視機批量生產,人們可以選擇現場觀看比賽,或者至少可以(通過電視)跟進每日賽事報道,這是完全不同的情形了。”

"By the time you got to 1968 you only had to follow what happened to the non-violent the protestof Tommie Smith and John Carlos to see that there was international interest in the Olympics."

“回望1968年墨西哥城奧運會,不會不注意到托米•史密斯(Tommie Smith)和約翰•卡洛斯(John Carlos)的非暴力抗議種族歧視。對奧運會的關注乃是國際性的。”

真外刊精读 | 败局?当奥运因事延期时

Whenever an Olympics is held, there seems to be a crisis. In 2012 there were security issues, in 2016 it was the Zika virus. Now in 2020 it's the coronavirus.

無論何時舉辦奧運會,似乎都會出現危機。2012年是安全問題(倫敦奧運會期間網絡安全威脅提升),2016年是寨卡病毒(里約奧運會前巴西大範圍內寨卡病毒肆虐)。到了2020年,是新型冠狀病毒。

Last week, Japan's deputy prime minister even went as far as to tell a parliamentary committee last week that Tokyo 2020 was "cursed," arguing that the Olympics is stopped by extraordinary world events every 40 years.

上週,日本副首相甚至向一個議會委員會表示,2020年東京奧運會是“被詛咒的”,每40年就會有一些非同尋常的世界事件致使奧運會未能如期舉行。

The Olympic movement has survived much: the boycotts of 1980 and 1984, the tragedies of Munich 1972 and Atlanta 1996, but in the last 100 years the world has not experienced something like the coronavirus pandemic.

即便在1980年莫斯科、1984年洛杉磯舉辦奧運會時遭受諸多國家聯合抵制,1972年慕尼黑(恐襲慘案)和1996年亞特蘭大(奧運公園爆炸)的悲劇,奧林匹克運動還是每隔四年地繼續開展著。在過去的100年裡,全世界從未經歷過像新型冠狀病毒這樣的重大公共衛生事件。

真外刊精读 | 败局?当奥运因事延期时

“We [the media], in the run up to the Olympics are alwayslooking for the negativebecause that's a good story," says Wallechinsky.

國際奧林匹克史學家協會(ISOH)主席大衛·瓦勒欽斯基(David Wallechinsky)說:“我們(媒體)在奧運會前夕總是在尋找負面因素,因為這是一件值得關注、值得談論的事。”

"To tell people in 2012 that everything in London is going great, that's not a good story. Even the best organized Olympics, like Sydney in 2000, there's always these negative stories in advance and whenever I've spoken to people in organizing committees I've warned them about this -- it's not you, it's us -- but sometimes these warnings are real and in this case they are.”

“若在2012年,告訴人們倫敦的一切進展順利,這並不是一件令人放心的好事。即使是組織得最好的奧運會,比如2000年的悉尼奧運會,也總會在事前出現負面報道。每當我和組委會的人交談時,我都會提醒他們這一點——不僅關乎個體,更是關乎所有人——有時類似警告(負面報道)預示了(奧運期間)可能發生的真實問題,比如上述事例中它們確實發生了。”

部分圖片來源於Getty Image

真外刊精读 | 败局?当奥运因事延期时


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