Oysters threaten Olympic venue

Tokyo's Olympic oysters - 26th July 2021

An unusual type of oyster is causing problems at an Olympic venue in Tokyo. The damage has cost $1.28 million.

Sea Forest Waterway is Tokyo’s new Olympic water sports course. While the officials were preparing the venue, they discovered a problem.

Floats around the watercourse should reduce any waves that the boats make. But the floats were sinking. Large numbers of oysters were living on the floats. The team had to remove the oysters, which took a long time. In the end, they removed 14 tonnes of oysters.

These were an expensive type of oyster: magaki oysters. Japanese people enjoy eating magaki oysters during the winter.

A team member told the Asahi Shimbun newspaper that they didn't think about eating the oysters. They didn't know if they were safe.

This lost opportunity was worth thousands of dollars.

The Sea Forest Waterway is the best place in Japan to practise water sports. After the Olympics, the cost of running the centre will be about $1.5 million a year. But the government must also find a solution to this oyster problem.