Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), has thrown his weight behind the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics, even as a surge in the Delta variant drives a resurgence of COVID-19 around the world and the event faces continued opposition just days before the opening ceremony.
Speaking to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Tokyo, Ghebreyesus, acknowledged the scale of the problem posed by the pandemic but drew parallels between the Olympic spirit and the need for governments and people around the world to work together to beat the virus.
“May these Games be the moment that unites the world, and ignites the solidarity and determination we need to end the pandemic together, by vaccinating 70 percent of the population of every country by the middle of next year,” the WHO chief said on Wednesday.
Zero risk? Virus cases test Olympic organizers assurances
mysanantonio.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from mysanantonio.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Zero risk? Virus cases test Olympic organizers assurances
centralmaine.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from centralmaine.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Zero risk? Virus cases test Olympic organizers’ assurances
IOC President Thomas Bach gestures during a press conference at the Main Press Center, ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Saturday, July 17, 2021. The first resident of the Olympic Village has tested positive for COVID-19, Tokyo Olympic organizers said on Saturday.(Shinji Kita/Kyodo News via AP) Shinji Kita
People gather for a rally in Tokyo s Shinjuku shopping district Sunday, July 18, 2021, to protest against the Olympics starting from July 23. They held signs that said No Olympics.(AP Photo/Yuri Kageyama) Yuri Kageyaman
People march in Tokyo s Shinjuku shopping district Sunday, July 18, 2021, to protest against the Tokyo Olympics starting from July 23.(AP Photo/Yuri Kageyama) Yuri Kageyama
A staff member guides a taxi at one of the entrances at the Olympic and Paralympic Village in Tokyo.
With less than a week before the opening ceremonies begin at this year s Tokyo games, at least two players on the South African soccer team
have tested positive for COVID-19 inside the Olympic Village.
The two players, Thabiso Monyane and Kamohelo Mahlatsi, are the first athletes to test positive for the coronavirus at the site of the Olympic Village in the Japanese capital. A video analyst for the team, Mario Masha, also tested positive.
All three have been isolated, along with those who were in close contact with them.