Bach arrives in Tokyo as flame begins Japanese tour

By Philip Barker

IOC President Thomas Bach has begun his first visit to Japan since the COVID-19 crisis forced the postponement of the Olympics.

Bach arrived by chartered plane after observing “additional isolation for several days” in Switzerland before making the trip. He was pictured in a facemask with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and told reporters that he was “very, very confident that we can have spectators. Together we can make these Olympics Games and the Olympic flame the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Bach will visit Olympic installations and also spoke to new Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike.

Meanwhile, the Olympic flame has begun an unprecedented journey around Japan before the formal torch relay begins.

It has been kept alight since it was lit in Ancient Olympia in March, and has been displayed in a safety lantern at the Ishikawa Sports centre in Ishikawa prefecture before beginning a nationwide tour of Japan.The plan is to exhibit the lamp at 73 municipalities in 14 prefectures in a tour expected to last until March 16th,2021.

The lighting ceremony in Greece was simplified as part of the precautions and the relay across Greece suspended after huge crowds greeted film star Gerard Butler when he carried the torch in Sparta.

1996 Olympic swimmer Naoko Imoto, now UNICEF education officer in Athens was drafted in to receive the flame on behalf of Tokyo in an almost empty stadium in Athens.

When the flame touched down in Japan, interest was so great that it was necessary to remove the flame from display.

It is expected that the lantern will remain on display until mid March 2021.

The domestic torch relay is scheduled to begin in Fukushima on March 25th.