Relay to light up 'recovery Olympics'

TOKYO • With waves, smiles and high fives, but no cheers, the Olympic torch relay set off in Fukushima yesterday, beginning a four-month countdown to the postponed 2020 Games in Tokyo.

Spectators were barred from the departure ceremony and first leg over ongoing fears about the coronavirus, which forced the Olympics' historic postponement a year ago.

But organisers hope the 121-day relay, which will criss-cross Japan's 47 prefectures and involve 10,000 runners, will build excitement and enthusiasm as doubts persist about holding the Games safely.

"For the past year, as the entire world underwent a difficult period, the Olympic flame was kept alive quietly but powerfully," Tokyo 2020 president Seiko Hashimoto said at the ceremony.

"The small flame did not lose hope, and just like the cherry blossom buds that are ready to bloom, it was waiting for this day."

With organisers billing the Games as the "Recovery Olympics", a nod to the pandemic as well as the earthquake and tsunami a decade ago, yesterday's runners included many who had fled after the meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant.

But the celebration to showcase Fukushima's recovery was subdued, and the relay, which will culminate with the July 23 Olympic opening ceremony, was carried out under many restrictions.

Traditional Japanese drummers and a hula dance group opened the ceremony, performing before a group of around 150 attendees, who sat at socially distanced intervals and applauded politely.

The brief, solemn ceremony was held at J-Village in Fukushima, a sports complex converted for several years into a staging ground for workers decommissioning the crippled nuclear power plant.

A handful of fans, wearing masks, watched the relay's second section, but clicking cameras were the loudest sound as cheering and large crowds were banned.

"For the torch relay viewing, please ensure you are wearing a mask, don't stand close to each other and support with things like clapping, instead of using a loud voice," an announcer said.

Members of the Japanese national women's football team were the first group to run with the flame, wearing white uniforms decorated with red.

"I'm convinced that... the Olympics will surely bring courage and vigour to people in east Japan, where recovery is still halfway through," Norio Sasaki, coach of the women's football team who won the 2011 World Cup, said after running the first leg of the relay.

The number of spectators, some waving Olympic flags or banners saying "Fight on", increased throughout the day.

Some runners grinned and posed as they handed off the torch, waving, while others set off to the beat of traditional drums. One man pushed himself in a wheelchair, the torch mounted in a bracket.

Organisers said the relay will skip areas that are too crowded, or pause until people disperse.

Japan has spent nearly US$300 billion (S$403.8 billion) to revive the region, but many locals are apprehensive about the Games, as areas in Fukushima remain off-limits and worries about radiation linger.

A protester driving a van near the relay shouted over a loudspeaker, questioning how the Olympics could contribute to the region's recovery. "You must be joking," the man yelled. "Everyone knows we can't have the Olympics."

The majority of the public is also against the Olympics being held, polls show. Overseas spectators are barred from the Games, and limits are likely on domestic fans.

But organisers insist the Olympics will go ahead, while doctors and nurses have complained about the strain on hospitals and experts warn about the spread of virus variants. Only 700,000 people have been inoculated so far, most of them medical workers.

Olympics Minister Tamayo Marukawa, who was present at the ceremony, said that she hoped the public's sentiment towards the Tokyo Games would improve as the torch relay proceeded.

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, NYTIMES