Olympics volunteers quit in thousands

Around 10,000 of the 80,000 volunteers who signed up to help at the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games have quit, broadcaster NHK reported, citing organisers. On Wednesday, Japan’s Kurume City pulled out of hosting Kenya’s preolympics training camp over pandemic concerns, Kenya’s Olympics committee said, becoming the latest location to cancel plans to host overseas squads. The Games are due to start in less than eight weeks but the pandemic has disrupted preparations, with more than 100 municipalities scrapping plans to host teams. Facilities for training camps were now vaccination venues, the Kenyan statement quoted Kurume authorities as saying. There was no immediate confirmation from Japan. Meanwhile, senior IOC member Richard Pound told Evening Standard: “Barring Armageddon that we can’t see or anticipate, these things (Olympics) are a go.”