您的当前位置:首页 > 产品中心 > Japan's Nishikori adds voice to Olympic concerns 正文
时间:2024-09-21 17:58:19 来源:网络整理 编辑:产品中心
TOKYO:Japan's top-ranked men's tennis player Kei Nishikori added his voice to concerns about
Japan's top-ranked men's tennis player Kei Nishikori added his voice to concerns about staging the Olympic Games in Tokyo in July, as the country battles a surge in Covid-19 cases.
Naomi Osaka, Japan's No.1 women's tennis player, raised similar concerns on Sunday, saying that the risks of holding the Games amid the pandemic should continue to be carefully discussed.
Japan has extended a state of emergency in Tokyo and three other areas until the end of May, raising new questions about whether the Games should go ahead. Its vaccination rate is also the lowest among wealthy nations.
"This is not like 100 people like these tournaments," Nishikori said at the Italian Open in Rome on Monday.
"It's 10,000 people in a Village, playing a tournament," he added, referring to the Olympic Village where athletes will stay. "I don't think it's easy, especially (with) what's happening right now in Japan, it's not doing good."
Nishikori, who won bronze in the men's singles at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, added that there was still time before a decision had to be made but was wary about the potential for an outbreak in the Village, a high-rise apartment complex in downtown Tokyo.
"You can make a good bubble and maybe you can do it," he said. "There is some risk too. What happens if there's 100 cases in the Village? Or it can be thousands."
The 2020 Olympics were postponed by a year due to the pandemic and organisers, from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to the Japanese government, have stood firm in saying that the global sporting showpiece would go ahead this summer under the mantra of a "safe and secure Games."
But some medical experts said this could be difficult to guarantee.
"We still don't have a good definition of 'safe Olympic Games' yet from Japan's government or the IOC," said Kentaro Iwata, a professor specialising in infectious diseases at Kobe University Hospital in western Japan.
"I don't know how to protect (foreign visitors and athletes) from bringing in novel variants from all over the world. It's an extremely difficult task to do that and kick off the Olympic Games in July," Iwata told Reuters.
Opposition lawmakers grilled Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Olympics Minister Tamayo Marukawa on Olympics safety measures in a parliamentary committee on Monday, including the number of hospital beds secured if needed to deal with Covid-19 patients from the Olympics, but Marukawa was unable to provide details.
Several test events with foreign athletes have been successfully held, most recently on Sunday, but a visit by International Olympic Committee head Thomas Bach scheduled for May 17-18 has been postponed until June. read more
Though Japan has been spared the worst ravages of the pandemic, more than 10,000 people have died. Tokyo recorded 925 new cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday.
“笋货”上市采购旺!清远西牛麻竹笋迎秋季尝鲜热2024-09-21 17:52
Thai woman kills new born after married Korean man left her2024-09-21 17:45
Energy ministry unveils document to calm dispute over North Korea reactor plan2024-09-21 17:41
[Newsmaker] Is NK ‘laying low’ for another missile test?2024-09-21 17:34
We Cannot Live Without Cryptography!2024-09-21 17:03
'Little Mermaid' actress has something to say to those who have criticized an Asian2024-09-21 17:02
North Korean leader tightens control amid faltering economy2024-09-21 16:56
'Kim Jong2024-09-21 16:48
优化广东优质农产品产销资源对接!“农友圈”又有新动作2024-09-21 16:38
No, these pictures are not from the recent racist rally in Charlottesville2024-09-21 15:37
From Prairie Grasslands to Man2024-09-21 17:20
Babar Azam among players distancing themselves from fans in US following Haris Rauf's altercation2024-09-21 17:07
严把源头关 扎紧驾驶员培训考试口2024-09-21 16:59
North Korean leader raps economic agencies for 'passive, self2024-09-21 16:52
Understanding Relational vs. Non2024-09-21 16:51
What's behind the recent uptick in robocalls?2024-09-21 16:20
Apple discontinues two more iMac desktop configurations2024-09-21 16:13
抓好旅游安全和服务为游客编织安全网2024-09-21 16:07
CPUs Don't Matter For 4K Gaming... Wrong!2024-09-21 15:47
North Korean leader tightens control amid faltering economy2024-09-21 15:25