Case
Teaching Notes
Abstract
After a year-long postponement, Tokyo hosted the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games through late July and early August 2021, opening Japan’s borders for the first time since shutdowns began the previous year. But the ongoing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic (and the resurgence of cases due to the Delta variant) presented some unique organizational challenges, such as mitigating the mass exodus of volunteers earlier in the year, operating through labor shortages, and, most importantly, maintaining COVID protocols to keep everyone involved healthy and safe. This case asks students to examine the organizational obstacles in carrying out the Olympics and how they might affect strategy and planning for future games.
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