TOKYO: The Tokyo Olympic Organising Committee said on Thursday they could suspend the upcoming torch relay should big gatherings raise coronavirus infection risks, asking spectators to support by clapping.
The toned-down torch relay, which will begin on March 25 and travel through Japan, will be broadcast live to avoid gatherings on streets, Yukihiko Nunomura, senior executive at Tokyo 2020, told a media briefing.
He said the organisers had put off a decision whether to proceed with the relay in Tochigi prefecture, initially scheduled for late March, because the prefecture has called for unnecessary outdoor activities to be scrapped amid the pandemic.
“By any chance, if any dense gatherings happen on streets, torch relay can be stopped as we prioritise safety and security,” Nunomura said.
Stricter measures like no spectators are possible, with little visibility over how the coronavirus pandemic will play out, officials said. For torch relay ceremonies, eating and drinking are banned, but drinking water will be allowed to avoid the risk of heatstroke, according to the guidelines.
“The infection situation will vary from area to area, so we need to take that into account and it will be very important to have a meticulous approach,” Tokyo 2020 president Seiko Hashimoto told reporters.
“We want to get the understanding of people in every area and connect the whole country under the torch relay concept ‘Hope Lights Our Way’.” Hashimoto later said she hopes a decision on how many fans are allowed into Olympic arenas will be taken around the time the torch relay begins.
