Tokyo Olympics: Less than three months to go and the calls for Tokyo to be cancelled is growing in Japan due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. After a small protest broke out outside the National Stadium in Tokyo on Sunday, Japan’s opposition leader Yukio Edano said it would be impossible to protect Japanese people as athletes from India, UK and South Africa would be coming in large numbers. He added that it would be an “exhibition” of “highly contagious virus variants” and would increase the risk of spreading the virus in Japan.
“Unfortunately, we have to say it is impossible to protect the lives, health and livelihoods of the Japanese people while holding the Olympics and Paralympics. He said in an online broadcast Sunday that “Allowing in athletes and coaching staff from Britain, South Africa and India would look like an exhibition of highly contagious variants,” said Yukio Edano, Head of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, in a parliamentary session on Monday.
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The B1.617 variant of SARS-Cov-2 from India, B.1.1.7 from the UK and B.1.351 from South Africa have been found to be more contagious and highly pathogenic than other dominant variants. The UK and Indian variants are also found to be responsible for India’s overwhelming cases of COVID-19 in the second wave.
Tokyo Olympics: Tokyo and many other prefectures are under a state of emergency, extended until May 31, due to a high number of COVID-19 infections. As of Sunday, May 9, Japan recorded 6,578 total new cases with Tokyo accounting for 1,032 of them. With the Olympics, more than half of the Japanese people surveyed have called for the Summer Games to be cancelled or postponed.
In such a scenario, voice is growing in Japan to put a mandatory quarantine protocol for all incoming athletes when the Tokyo Olympics kick off on July 23. Especially, athletes from India, UK and South Africa will have to spend 14 days in mandatory quarantine if a travel ban is issued.
However, with many countries negotiating the quarantine period and in many cases, asking for a complete exemption from the guideline, Yukio Edano is not happy with the system in place. He questioned Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s assurances of sufficient COVID-19 measures.
Also Read: Tokyo Olympics: IOC’s Thomas Bach cancels Japan trip amid surge in COVID-19 cases in Japan
“It would be unacceptable if going ahead with the games leads to insufficient measures that allow new variants of the coronavirus to be brought in from abroad,” Yukio Edano said.
Yoshihide Suga gave assurance to the Japanese public saying that athletes and staff coming in for Tokyo Olympics will have to follow strict guidelines of daily testing. They will not be allowed to mingle with the general public and any violation would lead to disqualification.
“It is my responsibility to implement such measures to safeguard the lives and health of the Japanese people and do everything I can for a safe and secure games,” he said.
Tokyo Olympics: ‘Most of our athletes are vaccinated and if India face travel ban, we will send the athletes to a country without ban,’ IOA chief Batra says
However, Narinder Batra, President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), said if India is put on a travel ban list and athletes are not exempted from the 14-day mandatory quarantine, IOA will send the athletes to a country that will not be on the list. From there, Indian athletes will arrive in Tokyo.
“We have no information from IOC on the matter and we follow their instructions. Most of our athletes have been vaccinated. Also, as per the protocols 14 days quarantine is necessary for foreign athletes who face a travel ban. So, if we are put in that criteria, we will send our athletes to countries where there is no travel ban a month before the Olympics and then they can easily travel to Tokyo,” Narinder Batra told InsideSport.
“Our Shooting team will be training in Zagreb (Croatia) for the next three months and will travel directly to Tokyo. We will take necessary steps if necessary,” Narinder Batra added.
