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THE postponed Tokyo Olympics got a kickstart today as organisers announced an 18-part series of test events between March and July.
The games are set to open on July 23 2021 after being postponed eight months ago because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The announcement came on the same day that the Tokyo metropolitan government reported a one-day record of 570 new coronavirus infections in the capital.
Although Japan has handled the pandemic better than most countries, cases have been surging recently with about 2,000 deaths attributed to Covid-19 in a country of 125 million.
Officials said that at least four of the test events will involve athletes from abroad, including tests in swimming, gymnastics, diving and volleyball.
A track-and-field meet on May 9 at the new National Stadium is also listed as a test event, though it is not clear if athletes from abroad will participate.
Games delivery officer Hidemasa Nakamura confirmed that none of the test events will allow fans from abroad, but some events will permit an unspecified number of domestic fans.
Several of the events will not even involve athletes, testing “operations” only in a bid to cut back on spending.
Japan has recently held sports events with fans; the final game of the Japan Series of professional baseball this week drew about 19,000 fans in a 38,000-seat stadium in Fukuoka.
A few thousand fans were also allowed to attend an international gymnastics event earlier this month in Tokyo.
“As for the number of spectators, we have to take the guidelines of the Japanese government into consideration,” said Yasuo Mori, who works with Nakamura on games delivery.
The announcement is the latest part of a campaign over the last several months to convince a global audience, sponsors and the Japanese public that the Olympics and Paralympics will take place despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
Organisers are to announce a “toolbox” of preliminary countermeasures next month against the virus, although they are likely to be vague and subject to many changes going into next year.
