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Typhoon could impact Tokyo Games

3 minute read

Olympic organisers ready to act further after making change to rowing schedule.

Tokyo Games officials are confident about rescheduling Olympic events should a typhoon hit the Japanese capital next week.

Forecasters have warned there is a "medium chance" for "potential tropical development" and believe the storm may hit Tokyo itself.

Games organisers have already moved rowing events due to be held on Monday, adding them into the schedule for Saturday and Sunday, because of the weather forecast.

"You have to have a very close look at the schedule. See when you can resume competition that can be affected or not," said Olympic Games executive director Christophe Dubi.

"The technology we have from the Japanese Meterological Agency to see what is coming up is a very big plus.

"This was anticipated, which is a good thing, so it was not that day or that minute that you have to make the call.

"So this is a very comfortable environment to operate in."

Dubi also addressed the issue of mask-wearing at the Olympics during a press briefing on Saturday, saying action will be taken against those who blatantly disregard face coverings.

The teams of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan paraded mostly without masks at the Games opening ceremony on Friday night, marking an awkward contrast with other national teams who covered their faces in line with COVID-19 protocols.

"I say it every time we start a meeting and see someone not wearing mask - it's our duty to say 'Mask please'," Dubi said.

"It is very important. In most cases people forget, but this is a habit to take. We must be on message to tell people to socially distance and wear the mask.

"If you have blatant behaviours that are absolutely unbearable then we will definitely take action.

"But it starts with informing and repeating this information so that we don't see too many people without masks."

Asked about the six COVID-19 cases within the Czech Republic team, and whether the team is under any special measures, Dubi said: "You have the protocols, there is an NOC (Czech Olympic committee) enquiry and that is the right thing to do.

"This is what we were recommending if something happens in any given point in time.

"It is fitting that they do an enquiry if they feel a number of the actions were inappropriate and let's see what they do.

"All the precaution measures are being well handled."

Friday's opening ceremony was marked by a protest outside the Olympic Stadium over the Games taking place amid the global pandemic and rising COVID-19 cases in Japan.

But the International Olympic Committee has claimed 69.4 million Japanese people - over half the population of the country - watched pre-Games events such as football and softball on Wednesday and Thursday.

Dubi said: "It has been challenging to organise these Games, it was hard to plan and then replan.

"It is always hard to find the right balance and at some point the ceremony is showing the sign of the times. It is always the reflection of the time.

"My feeling was that it was really powerful, yet refined. There was a lot of gravitas but it was also really punchy."

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