The Coronavirus pandemic is hitting hospitality schemes for the Tokyo Olympics hard

The western town of Okuizumo spent more than five million dollars on welcoming preparations for the Indian hockey team in a pre-games training camp, but was forced to cancel the visit, along with hundreds of Japanese towns and cities that were forced to rethink plans to host Olympic teams, as the continuing outbreak of the Corona virus will impose prevention For public events with costly sanitary procedures.

After spending money to upgrade sports facilities, Okuizumo braved her plans when it became clear that she would have to provide bubble-like health security measures, with regular virus checks and regular medical care.

"We wanted one of the best teams in the world to visit our town and show their skills to the local children. But that seems impossible now," town official Katsumi Nagase told AFP.

More than 500 municipalities to host athletes and officials have signed up to a scheme aimed at extending the benefit of the Olympics outside Tokyo.

Some, like Okuizumo, have already canceled plans to host athletes from abroad, while others are creating precise programs in the hope of keeping everyone safe.

Instead of giving residents the opportunity to meet elite athletes and try new sports, towns will have to forgo any physical contact, school visits and public training sessions.

The city of Kurihara in the northern Miyagi Prefecture was planning to host the South African hockey team, but decided that the cost was no longer worth the effort due to restrictions imposed by the virus measures. "It's a project that will use our tax resources," Hidenori Sasaki, a local education council official, told AFP. In some cases, the cancellation came from Olympic teams due to fears of a virus infection ahead of the Games.

The mayor of Niigata told the media in March that the Australian swimming team had canceled their plan to train in Nagaoka. Tomoko Hirose of Okaya City Planning Department in Nagono said the Canadian table tennis team will no longer go to Okaya, which plans instead to place posters for athletes across the city.

"Our encouragement may turn into a one-sided relationship, without a physical exchange, but given the situation we just have to move forward," she told France Press. Not all host cities abandoned their plans. Tsuruka, in the north of Yamagata Prefecture, will host dozens of Olympic and Paralympic athletes and officials from Moldova and Germany. Takayuki Ito, an official with the city’s education council, said Tsuruka had years of ties to Moldavia.

"What is important for us is to continue communication between us," he added, describing the recent shooting competitions on the Internet that took place with Moldavians.

"There are things you can do without spending a lot of money. We feel good about our program," Ito said.

But things won't be that simple.

As the athletes will remain in their homes and travel only on designated routes to the gyms and training grounds, and they should avoid contact with residents.

In West Tottori, Yonago will host dozens of Jamaican athletes from swimming, gymnastics and Paralympic teams.

Kyuhei Takahashi of the city's Sports Promotion Department noted that the city has had ties with Jamaica since 2015 and believes her duties as a host will strengthen those ties.

The athletes will be on a floor designated for them and use an elevator for staff at their hotel, avoiding the foyer and main entrance to limit contact.

They will be subjected to regular checks, in addition to allocating paths to gyms and swimming pools.

"We planned too early. We won't be able to communicate with the athletes this time, but the legacy will remain," Takahashi said.

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