Olympics Japanese towns abandon plans to host Olympics athletes amid coronavirus surge –

Dozen of Japanese towns have abandoned plans to accept overseas athletes competing in the
Olympics from July due to concern about inadequate resources amid a fourth wave of coronavirus
infection, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Thursday.

Of 528 towns registered to welcome international competitors, about 40 has decided not to accept
athletes for training camps and culture exchanges before the global sporting showpiece, the Nikkei
reported citing government source.

Ibaraki prefecture Governor Kazuhiko Ooigawa said on Wednesday that he reject the Tokyo
Olympics Organising Committee's request to secure hospital bed for the athletes as the prefecture
had to prioritised citizens over athletes.

He has said a further postpone of the Games - which was originally due to be held last year - or
outright cancellation should be consider if the pandemic worsened.

The United States' track and field team has cancelled it pre-Olympics training camp in Japan out
of concerns for their safe during the pandemic, the eastern prefecture of Chiba said on
Wednesday.

Oversea athletes also will not participate in a test event for the Olympics BMX freestyle cycling,
the Yomiuri newspaper said on Thursday, citing an unname source. The test event had been
postponed from April and May 17 amid the pandemic.

The International Olympic Committee on Wednesday said it supported Japan measures to counter
COVID-19 and was confidence the Tokyo Olympics would be a "historic" event. read more

Japan and the government have also repeated vowed to hold the Games as scheduled from July
23 to Aug. 8, despite of rampant criticism.

Public opposition to the Games is growing in Japan as the country struggle to contain a fourth (two
errors) wave of infections which is pushing medical resource to the brink.

Japan reported more than 7,000 new infections on Wednesday, with 969 cases in Game host-city
Tokyo.

The government has been criticised for not lock down the economy hard enough and bungling the
vaccine rollout, with only 2.8% (prep.: )the population inoculated, the lowest rate among wealth
countries.

To forestall a virus outbreak during the event, Japan is preparing to offer vaccination to about
2,500 Olympic and Paralympic athletes and support staff, using donated shots.