Virus grows, as do questions: Will the Tokyo Olympics open?
AP
1584815345000

1000 (2).jpeg

Three-time Olympic gold medalists Tadahiro Nomura, right, and Saori Yoshida light the torch as Tokyo 2020 Olympics chief Yoshiro Mori, left, watches during Olympic Flame Arrival Ceremony at Japan Air Self-Defense Force Matsushima Base in Higashimatsushima in Miyagi Prefecture, north of Tokyo Friday, March 20, 2020. (Photo: AP)

The Olympic flame has arrived in Japan from Greece. Next comes the torch relay around the country, which is scheduled to start Thursday 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 on the second day and it did not resume because of crowd size.

In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, Japanese organizers and IOC President Thomas Bach said that the games will open July 24 at the $1.43 billion national stadium in central Tokyo.

Bach has insisted 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 pushback, mostly from athletes and former Olympians who are complaining: They can’t train, qualifying events have been canceled 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.