×
App Icon
The Standard e-Paper
Home To Bold Columnists
★★★★ - on Play Store
Read on the App

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.

Get Full Access for Ksh299/Week
Fact‑first reporting that puts you at the heart of the newsroom. Subscribe for full access.
  • Unlimited access to all premium content
  • Uninterrupted ad-free browsing experience
  • Mobile-optimized reading experience
  • Weekly Newsletters
  • MPesa, Airtel Money and Cards accepted
Already a subscriber? Log in