Tokyo 2020
Online petition to cancel Tokyo Olympics with more than 3,51,000 signatures submitted
The online petition to cancel the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics which had garnered more than 3,51,000 signatures has been submitted to the host city's governor on Friday.
Online petition to cancel Tokyo Olympics (Source: Japan Times)
The online petition to cancel the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics which had garnered more than 3,51,000 signatures has been submitted to the host city's governor on Friday.
Launched earlier this month by a lawyer and former candidate for Tokyo governor, Kenji Utsunomiya, the petition named 'Cancel Tokyo Olympics to protect our lives' went viral on various social media platforms with people urging each other to sign it.
According to reports, this petition collected signatures faster than any other petition started on Change.org platform in Japan.
"I think the Olympics this time is about whether we prioritise life or a ceremony and event called the Olympics. The IOC holds the right to make a decision on whether to cancel, but Tokyo, as the host city, should urge the organisers to cancel," said Utsunomiya to the media.
Apart from the Tokyo governor, the petition is also being forwarded to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), International Paralympic Committee, the central government of Japan and the Tokyo organiers.
Japan is currently undergoing a fourth wave of covid-19 infections, with the city of Tokyo and five other prefectures under health emergency due to the surge in coronavirus cases.
Two prominent athletes from Japan, Naomi Osaka and Kei Nishikori, too, have come out and expressed their reservations on hosting the Olympics in the country under such circumstances.
