US athletics team cancels pre-Olympics camp in Japan-local government

May 12, 2021 | News On Japan

May 12, 2021 (Reuters) - The United States' track and field team has cancelled its pre-Olympics training camp in Japan out of concerns for safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic, local authorities announced on Wednesday, raising more questions about the holding of the Games.

The team was set to train in Chiba, the prefecture neighbouring Tokyo, leading up to the summer Games, but cancelled "out of concerns for their athletes safety", according to a statement from the Chiba administration.

There was no immediate comment from USA Track and Field.

"It is a shame they have decided to cancel, but I believe they made the best decision possible in the current situation," Chiba governor Toshihito Kumagai said in the statement.

With less than three months to go before the Games begin on July 23, Japan is battling a surge in coronavirus infections, and a majority of the population wants them cancelled or postponed for a second time.

Public concerns have also caused angst among sponsors, with a top executive of one, Toyota Motor Corp, saying company officials felt "conflicted" over the desire to see the Olympics succeed and public concerns about holding the event during a pandemic. "As sponsors, it breaks our heart to see public discontent aimed at athletes," the automaker's operating officer, Jun Nagata, told an earnings briefing on Wednesday.

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