By Lawrence Oshodi (SPORTS REPORTER)
Athletes Village for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics opened on Tuesday, ten days before the Games begin.
What is usually the start of a joyful Olympic countdown was overshadowed by many individuals in the host country’s lingering concerns.
The Athletes Village for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics opened on Tuesday, ten days before the Games begin.
What is usually the start of a joyful Olympic countdown was overshadowed by many individuals in the host country’s lingering concerns.
However, Thomas Bach, the head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), stated that Tokyo is the “best prepared” Olympic host city in history.
During a meeting with local organizing chief Seiko Hashimoto on Tuesday, he commended the city for doing a “fantastic job” in preparing for the Games.
Around 18,000 athletes and officials will live in the 21 buildings across the 44-hectare Olympic Village in Tokyo Bay.
Delegations have already started arriving in Japan. By the end of the week, there are expected to be more than 2,200 participants there.
Two members of the Ugandan team, a Serbian athlete and a member of the Israeli delegation have already tested positive for the virus.
This has further fuelled widespread concerns in Japan, but Bach said citizens could be confident that the Games will be “safe” for everyone thanks to the strictest hygiene measures.
The athletes’ village is usually a party zone and meeting point for athletes from all countries.
But in Tokyo the Olympians are expected to adhere to a strict set of rules.
They have to keep two metres’ distance at all times, even when eating.
They are to keep contact to a minimum, neither hug nor shake hands and make visits to the canteen short.
Athletes are only allowed to consume alcohol in their rooms — as it is prohibited to do so in public spaces.
They must also wear masks at all times when outside their own rooms.
Contact with the local population is forbidden, as are tourist excursions.
They are only allowed to move into the village a few days before their first competition, and they are supposed to leave no later than two days after their events finish.