Japan calamity adds to Olympics woes

An

IOC inspector working on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics says a powerful typhoon and a deadly earthquake that hit Japan in the past 10 days have been a wake-up call for organisers.

John Coates, an Australian who heads the inspection team, says what happened “has hit home to me.”

Coates helped organise the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He says organisers there simulated disasters, but he adds “you don’t have to dream anything up in this country.”

He says disaster preparation “is being factored” into the planning. (AP)