Athletes train at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Kasai Canoe Slalom Centre on Saturday.— Reuters
TOKYO: International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Thomas Bach on Saturday urged the Japanese people to get behind the Tokyo Olympics as the first coronavirus case hit the Games Village, prompting fresh jitters about the health risks posed by the giant event.
Bach, who has faced scattered protests since arriving in Japan, appealed to the public to throw their support behind the athletes despite fears of a spike in cases as thousands of international visitors arrive.
The IOC president said he was “very well aware of the scepticism” surrounding the postponed 2020 Games, which have attracted low opinion-poll ratings for months.