100 days before the start of the Tokyo Olympics (July 23-August 8), the words of the president of the Tokyo Medical Association are worrying.
He believes that if cases of Covid-19 infection continue to increase, it will be difficult to organize the Olympics.
The organization has also already decided that foreign spectators will not be allowed.
Organizing the Tokyo Olympics this summer will be "really difficult" because of the health situation linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, the president of the Tokyo Medical Association said on Wednesday, exactly 100 days before the ceremony. opening of the Olympics.
"If the cases of infection continue to increase, it will be difficult to organize the Olympics in their current form with athletes coming from all countries, even if there is no audience," Haruo warned. Ozaki, quoted by the daily Sports Hochi.
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"I would like the organizers to present concrete measures"
The Japanese medical official reiterated his concerns on his Facebook page on Wednesday, confiding that he personally admired the recent exploits of several Japanese athletes. "I couldn't hold back my tears when I saw the performance" of swimmer Rikako Ikee, of return to competition after being diagnosed with leukemia in 2019, and golfer Hideki Matsuyama, who on Sunday became the first Japanese man to win a major title in the discipline.
But "from my point of view as a medical officer, I would say that holding the Games is really difficult. I would really like the organizers to present concrete measures" to prevent the increase in infections and to ask for everyone's cooperation for the good. athletes, he added.
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The warning came as the Japanese capital marked the 100 days before the opening ceremony of the Games on Wednesday postponed to 2020 because of the pandemic.
The Tokyo Olympics have been rescheduled from July 23 to August 8.
New health restrictions in force in Tokyo
Despite the assurances of the organizers, the persistence of the pandemic and sudden resurgences of the coronavirus, including in Japan, are disrupting preparations for the Games and fueling uncertainty as to the possibility, and the desirability, of hosting the event this year. summer.
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New health restrictions are in effect in Tokyo and other Japanese cities, Olympic test events have been postponed and gatherings around the Olympic torch relay have been drastically reduced.
After its ban on public roads in Osaka (west), a similar decision could be announced Wednesday in another Japanese department, according to local media.