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July 19, 2021

Anna Murray 

Despite the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has no plan to cancel it. Most observers agree that the Tokyo Olympics will go ahead and begin on July 23 as scheduled, but many questions remain unanswered. The Sea Forest Waterway in Tokyo Bay, which will host the canoeing and rowing events, has a major and costly oyster problem, which is causing the floats to sink.

According to officials, the Tokyo Olympic rowing and canoeing venue has already faced well-publicized issues related to summer heat and poor water quality, but an oyster invasion is an unexpected problem to beset the Sea Forest Waterway. As of September 2020, the Tokyo government had spent 140 million yen (US$1.28 million) to dispose of a 14-ton seafood infestation. The metropolitan government has been working hard to find a solution to the unwelcome harvest of Magaki oysters.

Oysters thrive at the venue, according to an investigation, due to the high salinity of the bay's water and the presence of phytoplankton, a combination that makes them a problem at Sea Forest Waterway but not at other similar locations. Officials in Tokyo are keeping a close eye on the waters at a major Olympic venue where an unwelcome visitor has spent US$1.28 million on emergency repairs. The task of resolving the issue has been massive and time-consuming. Dive teams had to drag equipment strewn across a 5.6-kilometer stretch ashore and repair or clean it in place. They removed a total of 14 tonnes of oysters.

The Magaki oyster is a popular winter delicacy in Japan, growing from November to March and with major growing districts on the islands of Miyajima and Matsushima. Officials for the Tokyo Olympics, on the other hand, have yet to reap the benefits of their bountiful harvest. Nonetheless, there is little doubt that Japan will go to great lengths to complete the Tokyo Olympics.