Sebastian Coe, president of World Athletics, fields questions during a press conference in Tokyo today.
The emergency measures come as Olympic organisers struggle to win over a sceptical Japanese public, who fear the Games could spread infections despite a ban on overseas fans and possibly domestic spectators too. “I think that these Games will leave a strong lasting legacy, not just for Japan but at a time when the world is coming to terms with some pretty difficult and harrowing months.”But its vaccine roll-out is moving slowly and some areas have seen record cases as more infectious variants drive fresh waves of contagion.
A group of around 100 people staged a protest outside today’s athletics test event, which featured 420 athletes, including nine from overseas.