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Anti-Olympics petition receives over 200,000 signatures in 2 days
The petition addressed to International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and other representatives of organizers, said the games should not be held to protect people's lives amid the global health crisis.
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This photo taken on February 29, 2020 shows a protester holding a placard during a demonstration against the Olympics, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and nuclear energy, near the (AFP/Charly Triballeau)
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Japanese online petition calling for the cancellation of this summer's Tokyo Olympics had received over 200,000 signatures as of Friday, just two days after its launch, as public fears over the coronavirus pandemic grow with the rapid spread of highly contagious variants.
The petition addressed to International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and other representatives of organizers, said the games should not be held to protect people's lives amid the global health crisis.
"With the circumstances that we are under, it is certainly unlikely that the Tokyo Olympics could be held safely," said the English version of the Change.org petition launched Wednesday noon by lawyer Kenji Utsunomiya, who has run multiple times for the Tokyo governorship.
"The lack of medical resources that Tokyo and the rest of Japan is suffering from should suggest just how much the games will cause danger and fear to healthcare workers, citizens, and participants," it said.
With less than three months until the opening of the Olympics, Tokyo is currently under a COVID-19 state of emergency, which is set to be extended later Friday beyond its May 11 end date in an attempt to curb infections and ease the strain on hospitals.
Utsunomiya said on Twitter that he planned to collect the signatures before Bach's scheduled visit to Japan for an Olympic torch relay event on May 17 and meeting with Suga the next day.
Bach and the Japanese organizing committee have both said it is possible to hold the Olympics and Paralympics safely. But media polls have constantly shown that a large majority of people in Japan oppose holding the games this summer following a one-year postponement.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and Sebastian Coe, World Athletics president, held a meeting in the Japanese capital, during which they reaffirmed their cooperation in the run-up to the Olympics.
While voicing understanding for people in Japan who are worried about the major sporting event, Coe said he will continue working with the host city so the games can deliver hope during this difficult time.
Coe, who led the organizing body of the 2012 London Olympics, watched a marathon test event in Sapporo on Wednesday. At the time, Coe said his visit was intended to show his organization's support for the Tokyo Games.
On Thursday, the IOC said it will provide athletes attending the Olympics and Paralympics with free doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.
Meanwhile, Japan's vaccine rollout, which has been criticized as too slow, only began for those aged 65 and over last month, and it will be impossible for much of the general public to be inoculated by the start of the Olympics on July 23.
The Olympics and Paralympics are expected to involve about 15,000 athletes.
