These rules are the first in a series of “playbooks”, with further details to be published in April.
THE OLYMPICS organising officials have released Covid-19 rules for the delayed Tokyo Olympic Games set to take place from July 23 to August 8.
Acknowledging this year’s Games will be different, officials said participants will need to wear masks at all times except while eating or sleeping, and that athletes cannot use public transport.
The rules also include a ban on singing and chanting.
“These Games, in many respects, will be different. There will be a number of constraints and conditions that the participants will have to respect and follow, which will have an impact on their experience, particularly when it comes to the social aspects of what an Olympic experience can be,” Pierre Ducrey, International Olympic Committee operations director, said in a video news conference call on Wednesday.
“Each delegation will have a Covid officer monitoring the implementation of these rules by its own delegation to make sure everyone understands very well what is the impact of not respecting some of these rules,” he said.
These rules are the first in a series of “playbooks”, with further details to be published in April.
Meanwhile, Japanese residents are concerned about the influx of visitors in their battle to contain the coronavirus. Nearly 80% of participants in a poll done by Kyodo News said the Tokyo Olympics should be cancelled or delayed again.
“There are indeed a lot of questions in the public domain about how the games will take place this summer. And today is a preliminary review of how things will be done,” said Olympic Games executive director Christophe Dubi.
“We believe that the vast majority, if not all (participants), will follow the playbook.
“However, we have, as you know, at the time of the Games a disciplinary commission, and if push comes to shove we have to activate the disciplinary commission then it will be done,” he said.
African News Agency (ANA)
