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FUKUSHIMA / TOKYO: The Olympic torch relay is scheduled to begin in Fukushima on Thursday, kicking off a four-month countdown to the Summer Games in Tokyo, delayed from 2020 and the first organized during a global pandemic.
Some 10,000 runners will carry the torch through Japan’s 47 prefectures, including remote islands, starting from the site of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that killed some 20,000 people, highlighting the theme of the government’s “Reconstruction Olympics.”
The first section will have no spectators, to avoid large crowds, and spectators on the roads elsewhere must wear masks and socially distance themselves as Japan battles the deadly virus and rushes to vaccinate its people.
“During the past year, while the entire world was going through a difficult period, the Olympic flame was quietly but powerfully kept alive,” Tokyo 2020 President Seiko Hashimoto said at the opening ceremony.
“The little llama did not give up hope, and like the cherry blossoms that are ready to bloom, it was waiting for this day,” Hashimoto said.
Throwing a veil over the celebrations, North Korea on Thursday fired at least two suspected ballistic missiles, the first such test reported since US President Joe Biden took office in January.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga assured reporters in Tokyo that the government was cooperating with the Tokyo metropolitan government and the International Olympic Committee to host a safe Games.
“We will do our best in terms of measures against the coronavirus and we will continue to work with related areas to contain the spread of infections and we look forward to working towards a safe and secure Games,” Suga said.
The commencement ceremony began at J-Village in Fukushima, a sports complex turned into a stage for workers dismantling the crippled nuclear power plant that caused tens of thousands to flee.
Members of the Japanese women’s soccer team will use the Olympic flame, brought in from Greece last year, to light the torch.
High profile cancellations
The relay, which will culminate with the Olympic opening ceremony on July 23, has been hit by several cancellations of high-profile runners as celebrities and high-level athletes withdrew, citing late notices and concerns about the pandemic.
The opening ceremony, originally planned for thousands of fans as a celebration of Japan’s recovery, is closed to the public. It featured a drum concert and dance performances by a group of Fukushima residents, followed by a children’s choir.
Japan has fared better than most countries during the pandemic, with fewer than 9,000 deaths from coronavirus. But a third wave of infections has pushed the numbers to record highs, prompting a state of emergency in Tokyo and other areas that was lifted this week.
Most of the public is against the Olympics being held on schedule, polls show, and Japan is the slowest country among advanced economies with its implementation of vaccination.
In Fukushima, J-Village is decorated with local flowers arranged using traditional Japanese ikebana techniques. Japan has spent nearly $ 300 billion to revive the disaster-stricken region.
But many locals are concerned about the Games, as areas around the plant remain off limits, radiation concerns persist, and many of those who left have settled elsewhere. Dismantling will take up to a century and cost billions of dollars. – Reuters
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