Jun 29, 2021 (newindianexpress.com) - Japan is backing off a forecast of how many gold medals it will win at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics that are set to open next month.
Predicting performance in Tokyo could be a problem for many countries, not only Japan. The pandemic has disrupted qualifying events, thrown training into turmoil, and raised questions about worldwide tests for doping.
The Japanese Olympic Committee said 30 gold medals was the target just a few months before the pandemic hit. The president of the Japanese Olympic Committee now says that is no longer the goal.
“In regard to whether it’s important to achieve 30 (gold) medals, I would have to answer clearly ‘no,'" Yasuhiro Yamashita said at a news conference on Monday.
He said the focus is now off the number of medals.
“I think it is a common understanding (at the Japanese Olympic Committee) that we want to have each athlete be able to do their best and do their utmost,” he added.
The United States and China are predicted to finish first and second in the gold-medal standings, as they did in Rio and London. China topped the United States in the gold-medal tally at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Japan was aiming very high looking for 30 gold.
Five years ago in Rio de Janeiro, Japan won 12 gold medals, and its best was 16 in 2004 at Athens and in 1964 when Tokyo was also the venue.
Countries generally get a medal bounce from being the host nation.
Japan is likely to rely on seven core sports — swimming, judo, badminton, track and field, gymnastics, table tennis, and wrestling. It will also hope to score in the five sports added for Tokyo: baseball, softball, sports climbing, karate, and skateboarding.
