Tokyo 2020 unveils plan for socially distanced Olympic torch relay

FILE – In this March 24, 2020 file photo, the Olympic Flame burns during a ceremony in Fukushima City, Japan. The Tokyo Olympics were postponed a month ago. But there are still more questions than answers about the new opening on July 23, 2021 and what form those games will take (AP Photo / Jae C. Hong, File)

Tokyo 2020 organizers said Tuesday they will go ahead with a nationally socially distanced torch relay, 100 days before the Olympic flame begins its coronavirus-delayed journey through Japan.

Despite a recent spike in infections, Games officials believe the relay can be performed safely, and in front of spectators, with around 10,000 runners carrying the torch across Japan’s 47 prefectures.

The torch relay was postponed just two days before it began earlier this year, when the decision was made to delay the Games for 12 months due to the pandemic.

It will now begin on March 25, 2021, with Olympic officials to establish detailed anti-virus measures in the coming weeks.

“We want to make sure everyone’s health is safe – spectators, torchbearers, officials and citizens in local areas,” said Tokyo Games Deputy Director General Yukihiko Nunomura.

“We want the runners to smile and the spectators to smile when they receive the torch. We want to generate excitement so that people really feel that the Tokyo Olympics are coming. “

The announcement comes after a poll released Tuesday by national broadcaster NHK showed that a majority of Japanese are opposed to holding the Games next year, favoring another delay or cancellation of the massive event.

Japan has seen a relatively small Covid-19 outbreak overall, but has been battling a record number of new cases in recent weeks.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Monday called off a controversial domestic tourism campaign and urged residents to reconsider New Year’s travel plans.

No guidelines have yet been issued on whether Olympic torch bearers will need to wear masks, but this month an interim report says that participants will be told to keep their distance and refrain from speaking loudly.

Local celebrations

The Olympic flame, which had already arrived in Japan from Greece when the relay was postponed, is currently on display in Tokyo.

Starting in the Fukushima region, which was hit by a nuclear disaster after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, it will traverse Japan before arriving in Tokyo for the opening ceremony on July 23.

Organizers announced some minor changes to the relay route on Tuesday, but reaffirmed their commitment to visit all parts of the country.

“We hope that the power of the torch relay can be exposed to as large an audience as possible,” said Nunomura.

“We will also provide online opportunities for people to see the torch travel through Japan, and we will share it with everyone.”

The torchbearers who were selected for the original relay will be invited back next year, although Tokyo 2020 bosses acknowledged that not all will be able to do so.

The relay will visit 859 municipalities in Japan, with a local celebration welcoming the flame at the end of each day.

Organizers announced changes to various venues, and the festivities will be simplified in an attempt to cut costs.

The postponement of the Games has added at least an additional $ 2.4 billion to an already inflated budget, set last year at around $ 13 billion.

The NHK poll released Tuesday shows public opinion has changed little since the summer, when polls in Japan also found that only a minority supported plans to hold the Games next year, despite the imminent arrival of new ones. vaccinations

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