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Friday, March 29, 2024

Japan Olympics chief: torch handover and arrival to be held without children

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Japan Olympics chief: torch handover and arrival to be held without children
Japan Olympics chief: torch handover and arrival to be held without children

VIDEO SHOWS: PRESS BRIEFING WITH TOKYO 2020 PRESIDENT YOSHIRO MORI, SOUNDBITES OF MORI RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT SHOWS: TOKYO, JAPAN (MARCH 6, 2020) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1.

TOKYO 2020 PRESIDENT

VIDEO SHOWS: PRESS BRIEFING WITH TOKYO 2020 PRESIDENT YOSHIRO MORI, SOUNDBITES OF MORI RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT SHOWS: TOKYO, JAPAN (MARCH 6, 2020) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1.

TOKYO 2020 PRESIDENT, YOSHIRO MORI, WALKING TO JOURNALISTS 2.

(SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) TOKYO 2020 PRESIDENT, YOSHIRO MORI, SAYING: "In the handover ceremony which will be held in Athens on the 19th (March), the performance by 140 children was planned.

But for putting the safety of the children at the top priority, and taking into account the request by the government regarding elementary, middle and high schools (to be closed), we have decided not to send the children." 3.

JOURNALIST ASKING QUESTION 4.

(SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) TOKYO 2020 PRESIDENT, YOSHIRO MORI, SAYING: "A ceremony with children from Higashi Matsushima, Ishinomaki, and Onagawa in Miyagi Prefecture to welcome the torch had been planned, but we decided to cancel the children's attendance with the same reason.

These cities say they want to have the arrival ceremony in a different format.

It is very regrettable too." 5.

MORI SPEAKING 6.

(SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) TOKYO 2020 PRESIDENT, YOSHIRO MORI, SAYING: "We don't need to think whether we will postpone it (Olympics and Paralympics) or not.

We have to have a mind of 'we will do it'." 7.

MORI LEAVING NEWS BRIEFING STORY: The Olympic torch handover ceremony in Greece on March 19 will be held without children due to the coronavirus, as will the arrival ceremony in Japan on March 20, Tokyo 2020 Olympics organising committee president Yoshiro Mori said on Friday (March 6).

Originally, around 140 Japanese schoolchildren were going to travel to Athens to take part in the handover ceremony on March 19.

There will also be no children attending the arrival of the Olympic Flame on Japanese soil at Matsushima Airbase on March 20.

Schools are shut across Japan as the country looks to combat the coronavirus outbreak that has so far infected over 1,000 people in the country.

Because of concerns over the coronavirus, a smaller delegation of Tokyo 2020 officials will also be sent to Greece for the handover ceremony.

(Production: Akira Tomoshige, Hideto Sakai, Jack Tarrant)

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