Japan’s Matsuyama City Cancels Olympic Torch Procession

Japanese soccer player Azusa Iwashimizu (left) lights up an Olympic torch at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch procession, in Naraha, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, March 25, 2021. Illustration: AFP/ TTXVN

The decision was made 100 days before the Tokyo Olympics opened and amid growing concerns about the possibility of hosting the event as the number of cases is increasing inside and outside Japan.

Ehime Provincial Governor Tokihiro Nakamura said emergency health services in the region are under great pressure due to a sharp increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. As a result, the authorities will cancel the torch procession in Matsuyama. Instead, they will hold a torch celebration without the participation of the audience, and tokyo Olympic organizers have also approved the decision.

The torch procession departed March 25 from Fukushima Prefecture in northeastern Japan and is scheduled to pass through a total of 47 prefectures before the opening of the Olympics on July 23. As planned, this torch will pass through Matsuyama City on April 21. Earlier, osaka authorities did not hold torchlight processions on the streets. Instead, torch-carrying athletes ran through an empty park due to the rapidly increasing number of COVID-19 cases there.

According to statistics, Japan has recorded a total of more than 513,000 infections and more than 9,500 deaths from COVID-19. Notably, the total number of cases in tokyo is more than 126,000, the highest level in the country. Last week, the Government of Japan decided to allow the governments of Tokyo, Kyoto Prefecture and Okinawa Prefecture to adopt key epidemic prevention measures amid signs of a strong OUTBREAK of COVID-19. The measures are expected to be lifted in Kyoto and Okinawa prefectures on May 5, and in tokyo on May 11.

In the context of the complicated situation, on the same day, Tokyo Mayor Yuriko Koike pledged to effectively control the COVID-19 epidemic in the capital to ensure the upcoming Olympics take place safely. She stressed that between now and May 11, it will be an important period to win the fight against COVID-19 before the Olympics take place.

Meanwhile, John Coates – chairman of the Coordinating Committee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the body responsible for overseeing the preparations – expressed confidence that the Tokyo Olympics will undoubtedly take place this summer. According to him, the current anti-epidemic measures will help ensure the safety of people, athletes and other participants.

In order to minimize the risk of spread, last month, the Government of Japan officially decided not to allow foreign audiences to enter the country to watch events at the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. Foreign professional athletes and coaches will be quarantined immediately after arriving in Japan. Testing for these subjects will be conducted every 3-4 days, and individuals who test negative for 14 days of quarantine can participate in training and competition with teammates.

Tokyo Olympic organizers are entering the final stages of preparation. Five agencies in charge of organizing, including the IOC and the Tokyo city government, are planning to convene a meeting before the end of April to decide how many people will be allowed into the competition area.