Tokyo will host a one-off international gymnastics tournament next month, organisers said Monday, in what could serve as a practice run ahead of the postponed Olympics.
Thirty-two gymnasts from China, Russia, the United States and Japan will face off at the November 8 event the first major multinational sporting contest Japan has held since the coronavirus pandemic hit earlier this year.
The competition, which has been under discussion for months, will have strict anti-infection measures in place. It is still unclear exactly how the Tokyo Olympics, which were forced back a year by the Covid-19 crisis to July and August 2021, will go ahead.
Morinari Watanabe, president of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), said next month’s contest could provide a reference point for Olympic bosses.
In a online press conference he said: “This is being organised as our way to uplift the world, which has been driven down by the coronavirus.”
“If it ends up supporting efforts toward the Olympics, as an eventual outcome, I will be happy,” he added.
Before travelling to Japan, the gymnasts’ health will be monitored with repeated Covid tests, which will continue on a daily basis after they arrive. They will only be allowed to move between their hotels and the competition and practice venues on special vehicles
