More Tokyo Olympics worries as city governor warns new Covid-19 cases in the city could explode
Sebastian Coe recently said there is a cast-iron will the Games would go ahead but organisers are facing a few anxious weeks
31 December 2020 • 3:39pm
Olympic Rings outside The Olympic Stadium in Tokyo,
Credit: PA
With just over 200 days to go until the rescheduled Games, Olympics organisers are facing anxious weeks ahead after the governor of Tokyo warned Covid-19 cases in the city could explode due to the new variant.
Infections in the city hit more than 1,000 cases for the first time on Thursday and the new strain causing devastation in Britain has now been detected elsewhere in Japan.
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Tokyo 2020 host towns facing COVID-19 uncertainty Monday, 28 December 2020
Host towns for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics have expressed concern over the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with communities across the country that had been expecting to welcome foreign teams for training camps ahead of the Games left in limbo.
One of these is the north-eastern city of Aizuwakamatsu in the Fukushima prefecture, which was set to host the national boxing team of Thailand for roughly two weeks before the start of the Games.
City officials are now concerned over whether or not it will be safe to do so, and with the International Olympic Committee previously suggesting athletes should limit their stays in Japan, Aizuwakamatsu and other host towns may miss out on hosting Olympians and developing cross-border relationships.