Tokyo Olympics 2020: 'Custom-made Olympic bubble' to be created but coronavirus rages on

The Tokyo Olympics are just two months away. The International Olympic Council (IOC) is confident that the games will be held without any hassles. In a report by Reuters, Australian-born IOC Vice President John Coates said the Olympics will “absolutely” go ahead. Organizers have designed a “custom-made Olympic bubble” to protect athletes and the Japanese people. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has told President Biden during their summit last month that the Olympics will go ahead.

However, the situation in Tokyo when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic is alarming. A state of emergency has been extended in Tokyo and three other areas until the end of May. Over 260,000 people have signed an online Japanese petition calling for the Olympic Games to be cancelled. Japan reported a single-day record 148 deaths linked to COVID-19 as the country battles a fourth wave of infections. According to data released by local authorities, the number of COVID-19 patients with severe symptoms also hit an all-time high.

India’s preparation for Tokyo Olympics in jeopardy

The second coronavirus wave has severely hit India’s preparation for the Tokyo Olympics. The current wave of Covid-19 cases in India has impacted India severely. The country is logging over 350,000 cases on a daily basis.

Top athletes did well in the Federation Cup Athletics Championships in March. This, according to Adille Sumeriwalla, raises hopes of a good season.

“It raised hopes of a good season ahead, but AFI’s road map for the Tokyo Olympics got disrupted,” Sumariwalla said in the latest AFI newsletter. “Foreign exposure tours for top athletes didn’t go as planned due to travel restrictions put in place by several European nations for Indians. It made things more challenging to send the athletes abroad for training.”

Ten individual athletes, including javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and Shivpal Singh, have achieved quota places for the Tokyo Olympics.