logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2021
21m 12s

Let the games be thin: Tokyo’s Olympic t...

The Economist
About this episode

Planners are in a corner. Delaying or cancelling the summer tournament looks like defeat; pressing ahead looks like a danger. We take a look at the sporting chances. Britain has decarbonised faster than any other rich country, but getting to “net zero” will be a whole lot harder. And why South Koreans have such trouble with noisy neighbours.

For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Yesterday
Emission creep: a contentious COP closes
<p>It is telling and troubling that the annual climate talking-shop’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2025/11/22/cop30-ends-with-a-whimper?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownote ... Show More
25m 51s
Nov 21
Flee country: Britain seeks to slash migration
<p>Britain’s home secretary Shabana Mahmood proposed a big shift in <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2025/11/20/will-britain-copy-asylum-policy-from-a-place-with-poor-integration?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discov ... Show More
23m 22s
Nov 20
War graft: scandal engulfs Ukraine
<p>Pentagon officials are meeting President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv to discuss a <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/11/19/a-terrible-american-russian-proposal-to-end-the-war-in-ukraine?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_con ... Show More
25m 24s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2021
A dangerous games? A muted start to the Olympics
<p>Tokyo is under a state of emergency; covid-19 cases are piling up. But for Japan, a super-spreader event is just one of the potential <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2021/07/22/why-do-so-few-cities-want-to-host-the-olympics?utm_campaign=the-intelligen ... Show More
23m 14s
Jun 2022
Uprising tide: the coming inflation-driven unrest
<p>In a global period of belt-tightening, popular anger <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2022/06/23/costly-food-and-energy-are-fostering-global-unrest?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous. ... Show More
21m 58s
Apr 2024
The Intelligence: Surveilling China’s diaspora
There are fears about TikTok, but it’s not the only social media platform that the Chinese state might be using to monitor the rest of the world. That’s especially worrying for those in its diaspora who thought they were free. How monopolies are transforming America’s skiing indu ... Show More
23m 3s
Feb 2024
The Intelligence: Vietnam’s golden opportunity
The populous South-East Asian country is uniquely well-positioned to benefit from the deepening rift between America and China, so what’s stopping it? How a breakaway party on Germany’s far left is appealing to voters in the east (08:13). And, why VAR is frustrating football fans ... Show More
23m 5s
Mar 2024
The Intelligence: Pressures for peace
The international push for a ceasefire in Gaza continues, but the tragedies keep coming; in many ways a resolution still seems as distant as it was early in the war. We consider the temptation to go all in on stocks, given just how flaming-hot the markets are (10:55). And a data- ... Show More
22m 15s
Jun 2021
What the Japanese Think of the Olympics
<p>After last year’s postponement, both the International Olympic Committee and the Japanese government are determined that the Tokyo Games will take place this summer.</p><p>But the public in Japan appears unconvinced: About 85 percent of people say they fear that the Olympics w ... Show More
24m 31s
Jan 2024
The Intelligence: Growing, no pains
America seems to be in a best-of-worlds scenario: growth is outpacing expectations even as inflation keeps falling—how will the party end? This week’s loss of the Peregrine One Moon lander was disappointing, but our correspondent sees the good news from the launch (9:19). And how ... Show More
25m 13s
Jun 2024
The Weekend Intelligence: The state of Britain
On July 4th Britain will have a general election, one in which is widely expected to result in dramatic losses for the ruling Conservative party. If so, it would bring to an end 14 years of Tory rule. It’s been a turbulent period; the twin catastrophes of Brexit and Covid, set to ... Show More
50m 33s
Feb 2022
Poor officiating overshadows round three of the Six Nations
<p>We're down to just two rounds in the 2022 Six Nations and France remain the only side with a 100% record.</p><p>Joining Brian to recap the weekend's action is former England and London Irish winger Topsy Ojo. The pair get stuck into the match at Twickenham between England and ... Show More
50m 57s