Tokyo 2020 organizers yesterday said that the Games would “go ahead as planned,” slamming misinformation over a new coronavirus for triggering panic.
CEO Toshiro Muto said that organizers have set up a task force to combat the fast-spreading disease that has killed more than 560 people and infected at least 28,000 — the vast majority in China — but promised that the Games would be not derailed.
“The Olympics will go ahead as planned,” he told reporters after a Paralympic project review.
“It is important to remain objective and cool-headed. We don’t want to alarm the public. The infection is still limited and there is no problem staging the Olympics based on the current situation,” he added.
International Paralympic Committee spokesman Craig Spence said that scaremongering had created an “info-demic” that could skew public perception in the run-up to the Olympics and Paralympics.
“Fear is spreading quicker than the virus,” he said. “It’s important we quell that fear. Only 191 of the total cases are outside mainland China, so let’s put things into perspective.”
“If you compare those rates with the common flu, they are still relatively small numbers,” he added.
“The World Health Organization has not declared this a pandemic. We dealt with the Zika virus in [the 2016] Rio [de Janeiro Games] and in these matters we need to rely on the experts,” Spence said.
“We will follow the advice of the World Health Organization. Every organizing committee looks into countermeasures and we have measures in place from previous Olympics and Paralympics here in Tokyo,” he said.
“It is standard practice, it’s business as usual,” he added.
Japan has had no reported deaths so far, but 45 cases have been detected, including at least 20 people on a cruise ship carrying more than 3,700 passengers and crew quarantined off Yokohama.
Japan has warned citizens against nonessential travel to China and fast-tracked new rules, including limits on entering the country, as it tries to contain the spread of the virus.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged that preparations for the Olympics would proceed as normal.
“The coronavirus is beginning to have an impact on tourism,” he said. “But the government will continue to steadily prepare for the Games in close cooperation with the IOC [International Olympic Committee], the local organizing committee and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.”
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike over the weekend promised to implement “thorough measures” to protect people from the virus.
The health scare has led to the cancelation of Olympic qualifying events in China, such as boxing and badminton.
The Tokyo Olympics begin on July 24 and the Paralympics start on Aug. 25.
The next generation of running talent takes center stage at today’s Berlin Marathon, in the absence of stars including Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge and Ethiopian world record holder Tigist Assefa. With most of the major marathon stars skipping the event in the wake of the Paris Olympics just more than a month ago, the field is wide open in the men’s and women’s races. Since 2015, Kipchoge has won five times in Berlin, Kenenisa Bekele has won twice and Guye Adola once — with all three missing today. Kenyan Kibiwott Kandie and Ethiopian Tadese Takele are among the favourites for the men, while
Taiwan’s Tony Wu yesterday beat Mackenzie McDonald of the US to win the Nonthaburi Challenger IV in Thailand, his first challenger victory since 2022. The 26-year-old world No. 315, who won both his qualifiers to advance to the main draw, has been on a hot streak this month, winning his past nine matches, including two that ensured Taiwan’s victory in their Davis Cup World Group I tie. Wu took just more than two hours to top world No. 172 McDonald 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) to win his second challenger tournament since the Tallahassee Tennis Challenger in 2022. Wu’s Tallahassee win followed two years of
Zhang Shuai yesterday said that she nearly quit after losing 24 matches in a row — now the world No. 595 is into the quarter-finals of her home China Open. The 35-year-old is to face Spain’s Paula Badosa as the lowest-ranked player to reach this stage in the history of the tournament after Badosa reeled off 11 of the last 12 games in a 6-4, 6-0 victory over US Open finalist Jessica Pegula. Zhang went into Beijing on a barren run lasting more than 600 days and her string of singles defeats was the second-longest on the WTA Tour Open era, which
Nick Castellanos, Trea Turner and Kody Clemens homered on Wednesday as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Chicago Cubs 9-6 and clinched a first-round bye in the playoffs. Castellanos had three hits and scored three times. Bryson Stott also had three hits and Brandon Marsh drove in three runs for the Phillies, who on Monday claimed their first National League East title in 13 years. Coupled with the Milwaukee Brewers’ 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia secured the bye and home-field advantage in the NL Division Series. The Phillies owned the tiebreaker with the Brewers after winning the season series against the
RSS