Chris GallagherSarah Aoyagi
2 minute read
Runners cross the finish line while small groups of spectators are seen during the half-marathon of the Hokkaido-Sapporo Marathon Festival 2021, a testing event for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics marathon race, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan May 5, 2021. REUTERS/Issei Kato
TOKYO, Aug 4 (Reuters) - When millions of Japanese tune into the Olympic marathons this weekend they will not only see the world s best runners pushing their bodies to the limit, but also their own lives, said Japan s 2000 marathon gold medallist Naoko Takahashi.
The marathon holds a strong appeal in Japan because of the parallels it holds with everyday life, said Takahashi.
By Syndicated Content
By Antoni Slodkowski and Kiyoshi Takenaka
TOKYO (Reuters) â The Tokyo Olympics is running a village for athletes and coaches where more than 80% are vaccinated against the coronavirus, testing is compulsory and movement is stringently curtailed.
None of that is true for the giant Japanese capital that surrounds the Olympic âbubbleâ.
The athletesâ village and Olympic press centre represent a huge, strict COVID-19 control zone for the more than 50,000 competitors, coaches, staff and journalists. Meanwhile, outside the fence, host city Tokyo â despite labouring through its fourth coronavirus lockdown as infections spike to record highs â is leading something like life as pandemic-normal.
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