As Japan loses camps, Olympics buzz is fading

Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games advertisements are displayed at Narita international airport [Reuters]

Ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the Japanese city of Kamo spent $640,000 on horizontal bars, gymnastic mats and other upgrades to training facilities for 42 Russian gymnasts and coaches who now won’t be coming.

The team scrapped plans for pre-Olympics training in Japan because of the resurgent Covid-19 pandemic, local officials said. Officials in the northwestern city of 25,000 say they regret the lost opportunity to host the team, even more than the money spent.