Tokyo 2020
Tokyo's Olympics stadium holds track and field test event without fans
Hundreds of athletes including star sprinter from the USA, Justin Gatlin, were in action, albeit without fans at the Olympic stadium.
Track and field test event in Tokyo Olympics stadium (Source: InsideTheGames)
With less than 75 days to go for the Tokyo Olympics, the organisers conducted a test event for track and field following all the covid-19 protocols today.
Hundreds of athletes including star sprinter from the USA, Justin Gatlin, were in action, albeit without fans at the Olympic stadium. The event which was split into morning and evening sessions saw a total of 420 athletes including 9 from overseas competing against each other.
The event was held at a time when the city of Tokyo is under a health emergency. Over the past one month, the Tokyo organisers have conducted a total of 11 events in the city - four of which included foreign athletes, without reporting a single Covid-19 infection.
Various surveys conducted by local media houses have shown that a majority of the Japanese citizens want the Tokyo Olympics either to be postponed or cancelled due to coronavirus concerns. An online petition started two days ago demanding the cancellation of the Tokyo Olympics has, so far, earned more than 3 lakh signatures.
On the other hand, The International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Japanese Government, and the Tokyo Olympic organisers have maintained that the Games would go ahead as planned from 23rd July to 8th August 2021.
