This is it: there’s 'no plan B’ (as declared by the International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach earlier this year).
After an unprecedented year-long delay and months of uncertainty, we are now just 100 days away from the start of the Tokyo Olympics. Though some parts of Japan, including Tokyo, are now under tightened restrictions due to a spike in coronavirus infections, the Japanese government is determined to go ahead with the long-awaited event this summer.
The Games this year will undoubtedly look very different compared to the previous Olympics as the event's held during a global health crisis. Here’s what we know so far about the Tokyo Olympics:
● The Olympic Games will run from July 23 to August 8, while the Paralympic Games will run from August 24 to September 8
● Competing athletes will be required to test negative for coronavirus within 72 hours before boarding a flight to Japan, but they will not be subject to a two-week quarantine upon arrival.
● IOC President Bach has said that athletes will not be required to get vaccinated in order to participate. Instead, they will be asked to wear face masks at the athletes’ village and will be tested for Covid-19 every four days.
● Overseas spectators have been barred from coming to watch the Games in person
● The number of local spectators to be allowed has yet to be announced, but organisers are expected to make a decision sometime between April and May
● The Olympic Torch Relay kicked off in Fukushima on March 25. People have been advised not to watch the event in person, but you can watch the relay via live-stream for free
😉 Check out the statue of #Miraitowa and #Someity that was unveiled to celebrate #100DaysToGo until the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games #Tokyo2020! @Olympics #Tokyo2020 #UnitedByEmotion pic.twitter.com/A6I1eTMmeu
— #Tokyo2020 (@Tokyo2020) April 14, 2021
At a small ceremony on April 14, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike unveiled a monument of the official Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games mascots, Miraitowa and Someity. Kyodo News quoted the governor saying ‘I sincerely look forward to seeing all athletes from Japan and abroad, who have been training very hard,’ as she pledged to do the utmost to hold the safest event possible.
For more information, follow our updates on the Tokyo Olympic Games.
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