Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Tokyo Olympic president tries to reassure doubting country

The president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee has tried to reassure the public that the postponed games will open in six months

Via AP news wire
Tuesday 12 January 2021 07:02 GMT
Olympics Tokyo Mori
Olympics Tokyo Mori

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

The president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee tried on Tuesday to reassure the Japanese public that the postponed games will open in just over six months.

Two polls in the last few days have shown just over 80% of Japanese people surveyed think the Olympics should be canceled or postponed, or believe they will not take place as COVID-19 cases surge in Japan.

In what was billed as a New Year’s address, Mori gave a little pep talk aimed at the July 23 opening of the Olympics.

“Spring will always come, morning will surely come even after long nights," President Yoshiro Mori said. "Believing in that, to give joy and hope to many people, we will do our best until the end.”

Organizers and the International Olympic Committee have repeated for months that the delayed Olympics will be able to open during the pandemic. But they have given few specifics and have said detailed plans will be revealed in the spring.

It's an enormous job. More than 15,000 Olympic and Paralympic athletes from 200 nations and territories will have to enter Japan, along with ten of thousands of other officials, coaches, and judges. No decision has been made public about fans being able to attend venues. It's also unclear if fans from about will be permitted.

Optimism from organizers has been put into question by a state of emergency for Tokyo and surrounding areas declared last week by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. Japan has controlled the virus relatively well, but cases are rising with about 4,000 deaths in Japan attributed to COVID-19.

Japan has a population of 126 million.

“If I get caught up in my thoughts, or if I flinch, or get a little lost in my mind — it affects everything,” Mori said. “We have to proceed as planned. There is no other way to respond.”

___

More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

___

AP video journalist Haruka Nuga contributed to this report.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in