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The most anomalous Olympic Games begin in a month in Tokyo

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No foreign audiences, stadiums with reduced capacity and ban on cheering The fear of Covid infections will force the 11 thousand athletes to daily checks

Tokyo

First postpone. So at risk of cancellation, which never happened in peacetime. Finally cleared through customs, but without a foreign public and with strict health protocols for the Japanese one (maximum 10 thousand admissions in each plant), for athletes and the media.

Tokyo 2020 is one month away: on July 23, the opening ceremony will kick off the Olympics most tormented by the post-war period due to Covid. With the first positive athletes (a Ugandan) and a whole delegation in quarantine, and rigid roofs due to the presence of the Japanese public who to tell the truth – premier Yoshihide Suga clarified – they can also change, but in the sense of total closed doors in case of growth of infections.

Subdued atmosphere

The atmosphere is certainly not the joyful one that should precede the Games, but in the meantime athletes from all over the world are collecting the last qualifying passes and the first teams are already in Japan. Even the adversity of the population – worried that the arrival of so many people from outside could rekindle the pandemic – is decreasing, according to the latest polls. The organization of the XXXII Games of the modern era has been all uphill, since the decision in March 2020 to postpone them for a year. Those were the days when Covid was rampant, forcing countries to lockdown. Then, between spring and summer, optimism prevailed, with the hope that the virus would be a memory at the time of the opening ceremony. But the appearance of the variants has fueled growing opposition in Japan. The CIO and organizers, however, went straight ahead, scrambling to delay the qualifying events and promoting a great effort to write the rules that should ensure the safety of the event.

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Costs rise

Meanwhile, the postponement and anti-virus measures have resulted in an additional cost of 2.3 billion euros, bringing the official budget to 13 billion. It was announced last March that the Games would be the first without an audience from abroad. Tokyo-2020 president Seiko Hashimoto called the choice “very disappointing” but “inevitable”. And yesterday the limit of 10 thousand admissions per site was set for the public resident in Japan, with the warning that the competitions could become behind closed doors if the infections were to rise again. Games never seen before are also on the horizon for the protagonists. Cheering will be forbidden – applause allowed – and the 11,000 athletes will not be able to kiss. They should always wear a mask, except when eating, sleeping or competing. They can only move between the Olympic Village and the training or competition locations. According to the IOC, more than 80% of the people in the Olympic Village will be vaccinated, but the athletes will have to undergo a daily test. A taste of future challenges came on Saturday when a Ugandan team coach tested positive upon arrival in Japan. –

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