The traditional torch relay that predates the Olympics has been canceled as Japanese officials compete to host the event amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Starting Friday, the relay will be replaced with private lighting ceremonies that are broadcast online to prevent crowds and potential spread of the virus. BBC and AFP…
This is the latest setback for the Tokyo Games, originally scheduled for last year. The games, which are still called Tokyo 2020, will start from July 23rd to August 8th.
Opposition to the event has grown in a country where a woman was recently arrested. aiming and shooting with a water cannon at the Olympic flame passing along the route. The 53-year-old player called for the games to be canceled.
In June, poll found that about half of the Japanese would have preferred Tokyo not to host the games as planned. Tokyo Association of Medical Practitioners, which includes about 6,000 doctors, expressed strong opposition in the same month, citing a lack of free resources.
Although international viewers are banned from attending the games, last month the organizers decided to admit up to 10,000 local viewers in person, provided they do not exceed 50% of the venue’s capacity.
According to data compiled by Johns Hopkins, only about 15% of the 126 million people in Japan are fully vaccinated, hampered by a shortage of vaccinations and a shortage of medical personnel.
The growing number of patients across the country is also alarming. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said last week that excluding viewers from the equation may still be an option depending on the spread of the virus. Overall, however, Japan has a lower death toll from the pandemic than most countries in the world; less than 15,000 people have died from COVID-19 there, and the total number of cases is still less than 1 million.
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