SPORTS
Athletes to be encouraged to limit stay at Tokyo 2020 Athletes' Village to reduce COVID-19 risk
Baku, November 19, AZERTAC
Athletes competing at the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games next year are set to be encouraged to limit their stay at the Athletes' Village as much as possible to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection, according to insidethegames.biz.
Speaking following a joint International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Paralympic Committee Project Review meeting, IOC Coordination Commission chairman John Coates said athletes staying longer at the Village "increases the potential for problems".
Coates, also an IOC vice-president, warned of the need to ensure the Athletes' Village is the "safest place in Tokyo" during the Games and to control the facility so it does not become "overly populated".
The Australian official said his National Olympic Committee (NOC) were planning on sending athletes to the Village four or five days before their competition starts and that they would return home "one or two days" after their event has finished.
Athletes are also likely to be told to remain in the Village during their stay in the Japanese capital and will be encouraged not to go out sightseeing to mitigate the risk posed by coronavirus.
"The number of athletes won't reduce, but we have to make sure the Village is the safest place in Tokyo," Coates said.