The Tokyo 2020 Olympics flame hand-over ceremony in Athens this week will be a scaled-down event, the Hellenic Olympic Committee said on Monday.
The event will have only a few Tokyo Games officials and torch bearers inside the stadium, in order to protect everyone from the coronavirus.
The hand-over ceremony usually attracts thousands of spectators, officials and ceremony participants in the central Athens’ Panathenaic Stadium, site of the first modern Olympics in 1896.
They will traditionally cheer as the last Greek torch enters the stadium after a one-week domestic relay, for the official hand-over to the next Olympic Games host city.
This time round, however, it will just be a handful of actresses —- playing the roles of ancient Greek Priestesses —- in the marble stadium that can seat up to 50,000.
They will also have with them a small Tokyo Games delegation and four torch relay runners —- two Greek and two Japanese.
“The Hand-over Ceremony will take place in the presence of the President of the Hellenic Republic… and of a small delegation of the Tokyo 2020 organising committee,” the HOC said in a statement.
“There will be a dance of the priestesses that will not exceed the number of 10, and a torch relay of two Greek torch bearers and two Japanese torch bearers, that will take place inside the Panathenaic Stadium.”
The stadium, as previously announced, will be closed to the public to stem the spread of the virus.
Greece last week cancelled the remainder of the domestic Olympic torch relay through the country to avoid attracting crowds a day after the Tokyo Games flame was lit in ancient Olympia.
Greece has had four fatalities from the disease and more than 300 cases by Monday.
Japan is still preparing to host the Olympics, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had said on Saturday.
This is in spite of rising global concern about the viability of the summer Games due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Abe and his government, as well as the International Olympic Committee (IOC), have been adamant the July 24 to Aug. 9 Games will go ahead.
Several other global sports events have been put on hold.(Reuters/NAN)
