2020 Olympics to go ahead “at any cost” Japanese IOC officials claim
The delayed 2020 Olympic Games which were to be held in Tokyo this year will go ahead next year. The scheduled commencement date being Friday, 23 July 2021 and the final day being Sunday,8 August.
Organisers of next year’s delayed Olympic Games will require coronavirus tests of foreign athletes upon their arrival in Japan, draft measures released on Wednesday show.
Japan’s Olympic minister, Seiko Hashimoto, says the Tokyo Olympics should go forward in 2021 “at any cost.” Multiple Japanese and International Olympic Committee officials have stressed in the past week that the games will proceed regardless of the state of the global pandemic
Japanese athletes and other participants living in Japan will face the same requirements, according to the measures, which are still being discussed.
Although foreign athletes and other participants will not have to undergo a two-week quarantine period, virus tests will be required on arrival and departure, under the plan.
Organizers also propose to limit travel within Japan for athletes, who will be restricted to such places as towns hosting national delegations and training sites.
The pandemic, which has infected more than 31.3 million people and killed about 964,000 worldwide, has prompted hard questions about the viability of next year’s Games, even as new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has emphasized their importance.
Japan has avoided the kind of explosive outbreak suffered by nations such as the United States, India, and Brazil, with roughly 80,000 infections and about 1,500 deaths to date.
sources : Reuters, NPR
