Gender equality as crucial as COVID safety, Tokyo 2020 boss says

Organizers of the Tokyo Olympics will make promoting gender equality a high priority, equal to efforts to ensure a coronavirus-free Games, their leader said on Wednesday.

Seiko hashimoto said organizers planned to release detailed coronavirus guidelines on Thursday for the torch relay starting in late March.

hashimoto was named president of the Tokyo 2020 Organizing committee last week, replacing 83-yearold former prime minister yoshiro Mori, who resigned after setting off a furor with sexist remarks.

hashimoto said the organizing committee had set up a gender equality promotion team.

“even with limited time until the Games, we'll work hard so people can look back and say this is a big turning point for Japan,” hashimoto told reporters.

The Olympic are set to run from July 23 to Aug. 8 and the Paralympics from Aug. 24 to Sept. 5.

VACCINATIONS WEREN'T IN PLAN

The minister overseeing Japan's vaccination program said on Wednesday that the Summer Olympics in Tokyo weren't part of his planning.

Japan launched its inoculation drive last week and has already taken delivery of more than 800,000 doses. Minister Taro Kono said Japan will receive up to 2.3 million vaccine doses from Pfizer Inc in March.

Kono also said he's not considering giving single doses of the Pfizer vaccine to the elderly to help stretch out scarce supplies.

BRISBANE LEADS RACE FOR 2032

The Australian city of brisbane was picked as the preferred partner to start talks for the 2032 Games, the IOC said on Wednesday.

Several cities and countries have expressed an interest in the 2032 Games including brisbane, Indonesia, budapest, China, doha and Germany's ruhr valley.