Tokyo Olympics: 31 Games’ host towns cancel welcoming of overseas athletes

31 host towns for the Tokyo Olympic withheld the decision to host overseas athletes for camps and cultural exchanges. This comes before the Olympics due to the rise in number of cases globally, a report in Japanese daily Kyodo News stated.

Chiba Prefecture was informed on April 14 that the United States’ athletics federation will not have their pre-Olympic camp there. They cited the athletes’ safety as the reason. 

Ono City in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan also called off its Host Town program for East Timor’s delegation. The government source said they are tracking the local governments who wish to not be a part of the plan.

Tokyo Olympics: Concerns for Athletes’ safety rise

Chiba planned on 120 members of the U.S. athletics team from early July and provide training facilities in three cities. However, details have blurred since the announcement of the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics.

The British wheelchair basketball team and Russia’s fencing team will also step aside from the training schedule that was planned for them.

The government plans to cover each towns’ expenses for COVID-19 countermeasures and has prepared the necessary guidelines. However, a bigger hurdle is that the smaller municipalities have trouble securing the staff needed for the additional work. It is also to be noted that many overseas teams have withdrawn on their own.

As of the end of April, a total of 528 municipalities had registered to welcome athletes from 184 countries. The government is calling for those communities’ interactions to continue online, or they could look at other means as well.

Ever since the coronavirus pandemic broke last year, the ability to conduct a global sporting spectacle like the Olympics was in the spotlight. After being postponed from last year to this year, the rise in COVID-19 cases has yet again cast a shadow on the event. Notably, last month it was announced that no overseas spectators would be allowed to attend the Olympics or Paralympics.