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‘Simplified’ Games an option

- REUTERS

TOKYO Governor Yuriko Koike said yesterday it may be necessary to a stage a “simplified” Olympics next year due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and that organisers were already discussing possible changes.

Koike’s comments came after the Yomiuri newspaper reported that various options, such as mandatory coronaviru­s testing and having fewer spectators, were being considered by organisers.

John Coates, the head of the Internatio­nal Olympic Committee’s (IOC) inspectora­te for Tokyo, has said organisers had to plan for what could be a “very different” Olympics if there were no signs of Covid-19 being eradicated.

“Holding the Olympic and

Paralympic Games calls for sympathy and understand­ing of Tokyoites and the Japanese people,” Koike told reporters. “For that, we need to rationalis­e what needs to be rationalis­ed and simplify what needs to be simplified.”

The IOC and Japanese government in March took the unpreceden­ted decision to delay the Games, which had been due to start in July. A further delay beyond 2021 has been ruled out.

The new coronaviru­s has infected more than 6.4 million people and killed about 380 000 around the world.

Japan has had some 17 000 infections and 900 known deaths to date.

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