[ad_1]
TOKYO – Hugs, high fives or handshakes are banned at the Tokyo Olympics this summer and athletes will not be able to watch and cheer on their teammates at venues, under the first set of new strict rules for games introduced Wednesday.
And the spectators who support the athletes in the stands are invited not to sing or sing, but to applaud.
As the pandemic persists, the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee and Japanese organizers have unveiled the first of “playbooks” aimed at reducing the risk of an epidemic at the world’s largest sporting event.
Postponed last year due to the virus, the mood will be different when the matches take place from July 23 to August 8. The Paralympic Games, scheduled from August 24 to September 5, will be subject to the same rules.
The IOC said more detailed manuals for athletes and broadcasters will be released in the coming days.
The first manual recalls the basic rules of social distancing, but also lists additional measures for athletes, officials, spectators and members of international sports federations.
Athletes and officials will be required to wear a face mask at “all times” except when eating or sleeping, he said, adding that they should avoid “unnecessary forms of physical contact” such as cuddling, high-fives. and handshakes. They should also seek permission before using public transport.
Unlike previous games, athletes will not be allowed to visit the venues as spectators. Those who break the rules could be barred from competing.
Athletes will be tested at least every four days, IOC Director of Operations Pierre Ducrey said in a virtual press conference on Wednesday when the first playbook was released.
“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, especially when it comes to the social aspects of what an Olympic experience can be,” said Ducrey.
A more detailed testing regime for athletes will be clarified later, organizers said.
The playbook did not mention the general public, but Ducrey said the IOC would ask spectators to “follow a number of rules”.
Although getting the vaccine is not a requirement to compete in the Olympics, the manual says the IOC will work with national teams to “encourage and help” their athletes and officials to get immunized in their home country “in accordance with national immunization guidelines ”before they go to Japan.
Download the NBC News app for the latest news and politics
The IOC and Tokyo organizers have insisted that the Olympic Games will take place this summer, with the necessary precautions. Japanese officials vehemently denied a newspaper article last month suggesting the Olympics could be called off.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga extended the country’s state of emergency until early March on Tuesday, though the country fared better than many other countries, with nearly 400,000 confirmed cases and 6,000 deaths. More than 2.2 million people have died around the world.
Tokyo 2020 delivery officer Nakamura Hidemasa said on Wednesday that the first manual was intended to communicate “what we know right now” to a large number of people in an easy-to-understand way. The manuals will be updated in April and June, taking into account new pandemic developments, the IOC said.
Arata Yamamoto reported from Tokyo and Yuliya Talmazan from London.
[ad_2]
Source link