State of Emergency prior to Tokyo 2020

In a country where the citizens overwhelming wish the 2020 Olympics would be postponed again or cancelled, a state of emergency has been declared in Tokyo less than three months before the scheduled opening of the rearranged 2020 Olympic Games in a bid to curb a rise in COVID-19 infections.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has also imposed the emergency measures, which include banning fans from attending sports events and preventing bars and restaurants from serving alcohol, in the western prefectures of Osaka, Kyoto, and Hyogo.

These three prefectures are to the west of the sailing venue in Enoshima which is located 20 miles to the southwest of Tokyo. The tougher restrictions will be in place until at least May 11.

“We will implement short and intensive measures, strengthening steps related to eating establishments and temporarily halting the flow of people,” said Suga, with eating establishments asked to close by 8pm, while shops and cinemas will be temporarily closed.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said she will also ask smaller businesses such as gyms to shut. Nippon Professional Baseball has decided to hold all matches in the affected areas behind closed doors until the state of emergency lifts next month.

Japan’s legislation does not allow for the hard lockdowns that were put in place across Europe and other countries in an attempt to reduce the infection rate, but businesses who fail to adhere to the restrictions could be fined.

Cases have been rising across Japan in recent weeks, leading to renewed speculation over whether the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics will go ahead. The spike in infections has forced organizers to delay a decision on spectator limits at Tokyo 2020 venues until as late as June, a month before the July 23 Opening Ceremony.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said this week the state of emergency would not affect the Games.

“We were informed there might be another state of emergency declared in Tokyo,” he said after the IOC Executive Board meeting on Wednesday (April 21). “This measure would be in line with the very diligent approach we see taken by Japanese authorities.”

Source: insidethegames

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sailing Program
Men’s One Person Dinghy – Laser
Women’s One Person Dinghy – Laser Radial
Men’s Two Person Dinghy – 470
Women’s Two Person Dinghy – 470
Men’s Skiff – 49er
Women’s Skiff – 49erFx
Men’s One Person Dinghy Heavy – Finn
Men’s Windsurfing – RS:X
Women’s Windsurfing – RS:X
Mixed Multihull – Nacra 17

Original dates: July 24 to August 9, 2020
Revised dates: July 23 to August 8, 2021

Details: https://tokyo2020.org/en/games/schedule/olympic/