Tokyo: International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach confirmed that medallists at the Tokyo Olympics will have wear the medal by themselves during the medal ceremonies. Unlike the previous editions, when there were handshakes, hugs and a guest would hang the medal to the athlete’s necks, in Tokyo, none of these are happening.
Instead, athletes will be presented with their medals on a tray, and they will then be required to wear them around their own neck in front of the empty stands. There will also be no handshakes or hugs.
“The medals will not be given around the neck,” Bach told a virtual media roundtable on Wednesday. “They will be presented to the athlete on a tray and the athlete will take the medal him or herself.
“It will be made sure the person who will put the medal on the tray will do it with disinfected gloves. Presenters and athletes will wear a mask. There will be no handshakes and no hugs during the ceremony.”
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The Tokyo Olympics, which have been postponed by a year, will begin on July 23 amid concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. The host city Tokyo, which has declared a state of emergency until the end of the Games on August 8, recorded 1,149 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, the most in nearly six months.
Bach also stated that the Tokyo Olympics will be remembered for the way the Japanese people overcame obstacles while hosting the global sporting event in the midst of a coronavirus pandemic.
The Olympics have lost much public support in Japan due to fears that they will cause a surge of infections, despite the fact that no spectators will be allowed into sports venues and strict health measures will be in place for all Games participants.
