HIGASHIMATSUSHIMA, Japan, March 20, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – The Olympic flame
arrived in Japan Friday to a muted reception, with what should have been a
joyous celebration dramatically downscaled due to the coronavirus pandemic
that has cast doubt over whether the Tokyo Games can even go ahead.
The flame landed on a special charter flight into Matsushima Air Base in
the Japanese province of Miyagi, chosen as part of the “Recovery Olympics” to
showcase the region’s revival after the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear
meltdown.
Former Japanese Olympians Saori Yoshida and Tadahiro Nomura collected the
flame from the aircraft and took it through a guard of honour to a cauldron
in the shape of a cherry blossom on a stage in front of selected guests.
But some 200 local children who were due to welcome the flame were kept
away as part of what organisers called the “heartbreaking” decision to pare
back events as the world battles the virus that has killed nearly 10,000
people.