adminTOKYO. — Japan held subdued celebrations to mark one year to go until the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics yesterday, with the coronavirus pandemic raising stark concerns about whether the Games will go ahead at all.
In Tokyo, which should have been buzzing with thousands of athletes and fans by now, if the Games had been able to start on time, organisers will hold a small event at an empty National Stadium, with the public barred following a new surge in infections.
Despite the setbacks and the downbeat mood, Japanese and Olympic officials have not wavered from the message that the Games will go on, serving as a symbol of the world’s recovery from coronavirus.
“They will be the first worldwide gathering after the coronavirus,” International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach insisted last week.
However, experts and officials — including Bach and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe — have raised the prospect of the first peace-time cancellation of the multi-billion dollar Games if the pandemic is not under control by next year.
The historic decision to delay the Games in March came as the real scale of the pandemic emerged and countries imposed lockdowns that threw training into chaos and forced the cancellation of qualifiers and test events.
Since then, restrictions have been eased across much of Europe as infections and deaths from the virus decline, but elsewhere — including in the United States, Brazil and India — the virus remains rampant.
Winning agreement from stadiums that were booked up long after the original Olympic date was considered among the most difficult challenges organisers faced.
With the venues in place and available, the competition schedule has now been set, with few changes to the original calendar.
“Now athletes aiming to take part in the Tokyo Olympics can set concrete goals to work toward,” Tokyo 2020 sports director Koji Murofushi said last week. — AFP.
Online Reporter