Society

Head of Japan Olympic Team expresses high hope on athletes' best performance

Feb 04 (NHK) - The head of Team Japan for the Beijing Winter Olympics has expressed high hope that everyone on the team will strive to deliver the best performance they possibly can.

Japan is sending 124 athletes to the 17-day Games, which starts on Friday. That is a record high for the Winter Olympics held overseas. Japan aims to win more medals than the 13 it won in the 2018 PyeongChang Games.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, the head of Team Japan, Ito Hidehito, said he wants the athletes to always keep in mind that personal integrity is part of being world-class athletes.

Ito also mentioned a Japanese athlete who tested positive for the coronavirus on Tuesday after arriving in Beijing.

He said the athlete has since tested negative twice, and according to the rules set by the Games' organizers, was allowed to leave a quarantine hotel and return to the Olympic Village on Thursday to resume practice.

Ito said that everyone on Team Japan is taking every anti-COVID precaution they can, but no-one knows when they might get infected.

He said he is relieved that the athlete has now been allowed to compete in the Olympics.

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