Tokyo Games could lead to ‘Olympic virus’ strain, Japanese doctor warns

A pedestrian walks past a Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games decoration board bearing illustrations of Games logo and mascots in Tokyo

The head of a Japanese doctors' union warned on Tuesday that holding the Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer, with tens of thousands of people from around the world, could lead to the emergence of an ‘Olympic’ strain of the coronavirus. Japan has pledged to hold a ‘safe and secure’ 2020 Olympics in Tokyo after a year-long postponement but it is struggling to contain a fourth wave of infections and preparing to extend a state of emergency in much of the country. Japanese officials, Olympics organisers and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have all vowed the Games will go ahead, albeit under strict virus-prevention measures. Foreign spectators have been banned and a decision on domestic ones is expected next month. But even with those steps, worries remain about the influx of athletes and officials into Japan, where a vaccination drive remains glacially slow, with just over 5% of the population having had a shot.