Japan is considering how to host the Olympic Games with the coronavirus (photo illustration).
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Eugene Hoshiko / AP / SIPA
Japan officially launched summit discussions on Friday on measures to be taken against the coronavirus during the Tokyo Olympics, postponed until the summer of 2021 due to the pandemic.
With less than a year before the Olympics, many questions remain unanswered, in particular border controls, the mobility of athletes and official visitors, or even whether or not to welcome spectators.
The committee hopes to "show results this year," said Friday at a press conference Toshiro Muto, director general of the organization of the 2020 Olympics, whose objective is "that athletes in Japan and abroad feel that the Olympics next year are secure thanks to our measures on the coronavirus ”.
What protocol for entering the territory?
These discussions, which involved Japanese government officials and Tokyo 2020 organizers, focused in particular on the measures required when athletes enter Japan from abroad, said Toshiro Muto.
He declined to confirm reports from the local daily
Yomiuri Shimbun, however
, that foreign athletes and officials would not be subject to a quarantine upon arrival, provided they agree to restrict their travel once in the archipelago.
Athletes should limit their outings to their competition venues and remain in the Olympic Village the rest of the time.
All the sites planned for the Olympic Games could be reserved for 2021 via @ 20minutesSport https://t.co/XiKIu3Kw7w
- 20 Minutes Sport (@ 20minutesSport) July 17, 2020
Foreign participants would also be asked to be tested several times, especially before leaving for Japan, on arrival and before entering the Olympic Village, according to the same newspaper.
From October, discussions will focus on anti-virus measures at the competition venues and the Olympic Village, as well as the delicate issue of spectators.
Organizers hope to avoid the Games behind closed doors, Toshiro Muto reaffirmed, as Japan currently limits public participation in sports competitions and its borders remain closed to many foreigners.
Tsuyoshi Fukui, secretary general of the Japanese Olympic Committee, reminded participants in the discussions that the athletes are counting on them to make the Games possible.
“The athletes are very hopeful,” he said.
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