The Olympic flame has arrived in Japan from Greece. Next comes the torch relay around the country, which is scheduled to start on Thursday from Fukushima prefecture in northern Japan.
Organizers have asked crowds to be restrained, but have been imprecise about what that means. Greek officials last week stopped a relay there on the second day and did not resume because of crowd size.
In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, Japanese organizers and IOC President Thomas Bach say that the games will open on July 24 at the $1.43 billion national stadium in central Tokyo.
Bach has said repeatedly it's too early to announce a final decision, saying he's taking advice from a task force that includes the World Health Organization.
But now there's push back, mostly from athletes and former Olympians who are complaining: they can't train, qualifying events have been cancelled, and the chaos is sure to favor some over others. Then there's the question of bringing 11,000 athletes and staff together in the Olympic Village, and 4,400 Paralympians a month later.
Getting the flame to Japan represents a minor victory for both organizers and the IOC. Its symbolic presence could give the IOC space to postpone the Tokyo Olympics, leaving the symbol behind as a reminder of what's still to come.
Q: What is the deadline for making a final decision? A: Bach surely knows, but he is not saying. In an interview with the New York Times Bach said cancellation is not on the agenda." That leaves only going ahead, or postponement, as the options. Empty venues seem to have been ruled out.
Q: Who will make the final decision?
Q: What is the push back you are talking about?
This crisis is bigger than even the Olympics."
Q: How important is the torch relay to the IOC and local organizers?
Q: Any bookmaker taking odds?