Toyko Olympics To Go Ahead As Planned

Tokyo Olympics will go ahead as planned despite the raging COVID-19 pandemic, Reuters reports. This was revealed by the Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori who said they are working closely with the Olympic Committee to ensure the games go ahead as planned.

Nori was speaking during a Japan Sports Research Commission meeting when he said:

We will hold the Olympics, regardless of how the coronavirus (situation) looks We must consider new ways of hosting the Olympics

Japan is expected to vaccinate its health workers this month and those aged 65 and above in April but it is still not clear if it will be able to achieve herd immunity when 15000+ Olympic and Paralympics athletes visit the Asian nation.

There is chatter around the possibility of having the games behind closed doors according to the International Paralympic Committee Chair Andrew Parsons who told the AFP that:

We do understand that the Games will not be the same without spectators, but the impact of the Games is very strong outside the host city and the host nation.

The 2020 Olympics were postponed to this year last year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. They were supposed to and they will still be held in Japan in July this year.

Source: Reuters