Osaka leg of Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch relay will not run on public roads, organisers say

[April 07, 2021]    TOKYO (Reuters) - The Osaka leg of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch relay will not run on public roads, the organising committee announced in a statement on Wednesday, due to a surge of COVID-19 cases in the area that triggered a medical state of emergency.

The Olympic torch is seen at Hibarigahara Festival Site, during the last leg of the first day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch relay, in Minamisoma, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, March 25, 2021. REUTERS/Issei Kato

"Tokyo 2020 will arrange for the Osaka segment of the relay to be run in the Expo '70 Commemorative Park," a 260 hectare park managed by Osaka prefecture, without any spectators during the event, the statement said.

The western prefecture of Osaka declared a medical state of emergency, asking residents to stay home and avoid unnecessary outings, and counted a record high of 878 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Sakura Murakami; Editing by Christian Radnedge)

[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.