As COVID-19 cases and deaths mount worldwide, the head of the Tokyo Games organizing committee said that it has not yet planned ways to ensure the safety of athletes, fans and staff.
“It will be on agenda,” Tokyo Games organizing committee CEO Toshiro Muto told a news conference on Wednesday evening. “The situation changes every minute. Until we know in what circumstances the Games will be held, I can’t address measures accurately.”
That cannot have been reassuring to the stars of the Olympics — the athletes — who have begun to express concern over their safety and preparedness to compete on the biggest stage in sports.
Photo: AFP
Even so, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Tokyo committee have made clear that they are moving ahead with the international event, scheduled to begin on July 24.
IOC leaders late on Wednesday held a call with more than 200 athlete representatives from around the world in an effort to assuage their concerns.
“It was very constructive and gave us a lot of insight,” IOC president Thomas Bach was quoted as saying by Sky Sports. “We said we will continue to be very realistic in our analysis.”
Japanese Minister of Finance Taro Aso on Wednesday told the Japanese National Diet that these Games are cursed: “It’s a problem that happens every 40 years.”
He appeared to be referring to the cancelation of the 1940 Games because of World War II and the 1980 Moscow boycott.
Asked about the risk of the Games spreading the coronavirus, he said that it is “a pretty difficult decision.”
As of now, the planned torch relay across the archipelago has been scaled back. Tokyo organizers have asked people who feel ill not to watch from roadsides, and the event’s launch in Fukushima is to take place without fans. Local governments are canceling their torch welcoming ceremonies.
Almost two-thirds of Japanese voters think that the Olympics should be postponed due to the pandemic, one poll found.
Separately, officials said that Tokyo Games organizing committee chairman Yoshiro Mori attended a meeting on Tuesday last week that included Japanese Olympic Committee vice president Kozo Tashima, who tested positive for COVID-19 this week.
Mori, 82, has lung cancer, but has not been tested because he has no symptoms of the virus and does not meet testing requirements, an official from his office said.
Mori and Tashima attended a board meeting regarding the Rugby World Cup. Tashima tested positive for the virus on Tuesday.
At the meeting, about 60 people were in the room and Mori was seated about 10m from Tashima on the opposite side of the table, Rugby World Cup organizing committee spokesman Jun Kusumoto said.
Local health authorities have contacted those believed to be at risk of contracting the virus from Tashima, but that does not include Mori, the Tokyo Games organizing committee told reporters.
“He goes to hospital three times a week for dialysis, so if he develops fever or has other symptoms, a doctor will be able to test for it,” the official from Mori’s office said.
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