Among educated and internationally savvy Chinese, no current topic is more despised than the bickering over Chinese and American medal counts at the Tokyo Olympics. Narrow-minded nationalism holds scant interest for them, just as it does for most educated Americans – and, generally, for me. But, as an economist, I am not so dismissive toward the medal-count discussion.

The Olympics often seem to be preceded by political tension and drama; this and next year’s games in Asia are no different. Tokyo’s games got off to a rocky start, and now a group of U.S. lawmakers is calling for a boycott of the Beijing 2022 games. Will this destroy the Olympics or will the games unite us through conflict?

China and Japan have pledged full support for each other in presenting the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. Their cooperation will be invaluable in promoting the regional integration of Asia.

With the global COVID-19 crisis quickly escalating, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has had to accept a hard truth, rightly taking the initiative in telling the Diet (parliament) this week that the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games may need to be rescheduled, and ultimately reaching an agreement with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to postpone the event until 2021.

While the prospect of a joint-Korean bid for the 2032 Olympic Games is attractive, a number of challenges could keep this proposal from becoming a reality.

In the run-up to Rio, the next three Olympic hosts, all Asian nations, must understand the broader implications and global expectations that come with hosting this event. The Olympics may have grown too weighed down by excessive external baggage to be sustainable in their current form, something that will have to be taken into account moving forward.

The United States would benefit from a reconciliation between Russia and Japan, which would also help China continue its peaceful rise, writes Richard Weitz.

The 2014 Olympic Games at Sochi, Russia could stand as an important moment for major-power relations in the World. The most expensive games in history could have a historical impact in International Relations for Russia, China and the US.