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HUNDREDS of cities in Japan have been forced to reconsider their plans to host the upcoming Olympic teams. This pessimism emerged after the corona virus prevented people from leaving their homes and pushed for tight security.
The city of Okuizumo in western Japan has spent more than US$5 million preparing to welcome the Indian hockey team to a pre-Olympic training camp but cancelled due to COVID-19. After investing large sums of money to improve sports facilities, Okuizomo has now stepped back because he was forced to implement a bubble-shaped bio-security measure where COVID-19 tests and medical care must be routinely held.
“We originally wanted one of the world’s top teams to visit our city and show their skills to the children here. But at the moment it seems impossible,” city official Katsumi Nagase told AFP.
More than 500 municipalities have signed up to host athletes and officials in a scheme aimed at extending the benefits of the Olympics outside of Tokyo. Some of these cities, such as Okuizumo, have already cancelled plans to host overseas athletes, while others are designing careful programs that they hope will keep everyone safe.
Instead of giving residents the opportunity to meet elite athletes and try out new sports, cities should eliminate contact sessions, school visits and free training. The city of Kurihara in Miyagi Prefecture in northern Japan planned to host the South African hockey team, but decided that the cost was no longer worth it given the restrictions imposed on virus containment measures.
“This is a project that will use our tax resources. If only athletes hold training camps without contact with local residents, then local residents will not enjoy the benefits. In some cases, Olympic teams have withdrawn fearing the risk of exposure to infection beforehand. Olympics,” said Hidenori Sasaki, a local education council official.
The Australian swim team cancelled plans to train in the city of Nagaoka in Niigata Prefecture, its mayor told media in March. And the Canadian table tennis team failed to make their way to the town of Okaya in Nagano Prefecture, planning to put up athlete posters around the city, said Tomoko Hirose of the city’s planning division.
In west Tottori, the city of Yonago will host dozens of the Jamaican Paralympic swim, gym and boat teams. The city has been cooperating with Jamaica since 2015 and believes the host’s duties will strengthen that bond, said Kyohei Takahashi at the city’s sports promotion division.
Athletes will be on designated floors and use hotel staff elevators avoiding lobbies and main entrances to limit contact. They will also be regularly offered COVID-19 tests, as well as designated routes to gyms and swimming pools.
“We planned it from an early age. We will not be able to contact the athletes this time. But the legacy will remain,” Takahashi concluded. [sources/photo special]
