Japanese towns drop plans to host Olympic athletes: Nikkei

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Test Event - Athletics

* Towns, prefectures concerned over scarce medical resources * Chiba prefecture says no preferential treatment for athletes * Medical adviser raises caution over holding Olympics Dozens of Japanese towns have abandoned plans to host Olympic athletes because of concern they will overburden stretched medical resources amid a fourth wave of coronavirus infections, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Thursday. Forty of more than 500 towns registered to welcome international competitors had decided not to accept athletes for training camps and cultural exchanges before the global sporting showpiece, the newspaper reported, citing a government source. The reluctance of some towns to host visiting athletes, normally a source of pride for communities outside the host city, is the latest sign of deep unease in Japan over the scheduling of the Games in the middle of a pandemic.