Yeah it's a pity

And basically the difference in opinion here is around the bit where you say "for no good reason".

Tokyo is now seeing higher numbers than ever and some people at the Olympics are now having to isolate and can't even compete having trained for years to attend. Even if it's symbolic, I can well appreciate how other people at the games would appreciate the gesture.

It's an international event in a pandemic, and even for those who win medals I doubt that it's exactly how they imagined. (same for people getting married).

I sympathise to the degree that it's a shame when circumstances mean that important points in your life aren't quite what you hoped, but if your wedding or winning Olympic gold feels devalued because your photo has a mask on (reflecting what's actually going on...) I'd have thought that it was a more unique snapshot of then zeitgeist than any airbrushed alternative.

(how many people look at their wedding photos that often anyway?)

The human angle on this is, as ever, multifaceted.

Posted By: Cardiff Canary, Jul 28, 13:33:59