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OLY-2020-JPN-JAPAN-VIRUS-HEALTH-TORCH
Japan welcomes Olympic flame as doubts swirl over Games
HIGASHIMATSUSHIMA, Japan, March 20, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – The Olympic flame
arrived in Japan Friday to a muted reception, what should have been a joyous
celebration dramatically scaled down 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
Miyagi province, 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 to a cauldron in the shape of a cherry
blossom on a stage in front of selected guests.
But some 200 local children that 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.
After a speech by chief organiser Yoshiro Mori, the former Olympians lit
the cauldron with the torch, also designed to represent Japan’s cherished
cherry blossom.
“Children had planned to welcome the Olympic flame, but we decided to scale
it down, giving priority to their safety,” Mori said.
The actual torch relay begins on March 26, starting from the J-Village
sports complex in Fukushima that was commandeered as a base by workers
scrambling to contain the fall-out from the nuclear meltdown.
“The Olympic flame relay is the biggest event ahead of the Olympics. It is
very important for us to carry it out at any cost,” said Tokyo 2020 CEO
Toshiro Muto ahead of the ceremony.
But organisers have been forced to scale back what should have been a key
event to raise awareness and excitement ahead of the July 24 opening
ceremony.
While spectators are allowed to watch from the roadside, fans have been
urged to “avoid forming crowds”, with organisers warning there could be a
change of programme in the event of “excessive congestion”.
Daily arrival and departure ceremonies are closed to the public and all
torch-bearers will have their temperatures taken before participating in the
relay, which is scheduled to visit every part of Japan on a 121-day journey
before entering Tokyo.
– ‘Bigger than the Olympics’ –
The virus has already played havoc with the traditional early stages of the
torch relay in Greece — the lighting ceremony in ancient Olympia took place
without spectators and was watched by a severely reduced delegation from
Tokyo.
Organisers were then forced to scrap the Greek leg of the relay after large
crowds mobbed Hollywood actor Gerard Butler as he lit a cauldron in the city
of Sparta.
With borders shut in Europe — which has become the epicentre of the crisis
— Tokyo officials did not travel to collect the torch, with former Olympic
swimmer Naoko Imoto representing Japan at the official handover.
As the flame arrived, there are increasing clouds over the Games, with some
athletes past and present attacking the International Olympic Committee for
insisting there is no need for “drastic” action such as postponement or
cancellation.
Japan Olympic Committee member and former Olympic judoka Kaori Yamaguchi
was the latest prominent figure to suggest a postponement in a newspaper
interview published the day the flame landed.
“It should be postponed under the current situation where athletes are not
well prepared,” Yamaguchi, a JOC executive board member, told the Nikkei
daily.
As well as wiping out the global sporting calendar, the coronavirus has
also put paid to many athletes’ training schedules, leading some to propose a
postponement.
The IOC, which will take any decision over the fate of the Games, has
encouraged all athletes to train for the Games “as best they can”, stressing
it is “fully committed” to holding the event as planned.
Nevertheless, IOC president Thomas Bach has admitted that qualifying is
becoming a problem as competitions are scrapped.
He said in an interview with the New York Times published Friday that the
IOC was “considering different scenarios” for the Games but stressed that the
Olympics were still four and a half months away.
BSS/AFP/GMR/0930 hrs