Tokyo 2020 officials scrap Olympic torch relay in capital

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Tokyo 2020 officials scrap Olympic torch relay in capital

The Olympic torch relay has been cancelled on Tokyo’s streets, as fears over the spread of Covid-19 continue to plague the Games.

Starting Friday, public relay events in the city will be replaced with flame-lighting ceremonies streamed online – the latest setback for the event.

Only the leg in the remote Ogasawara islands, south of Tokyo, will go ahead as planned, officials said.

Tokyo 2020 is due to begin on 23 July despite public opposition.

People in Japan have taken to the streets in recent months calling for the Olympics to be cancelled or postponed, amid coronavirus fears.

The nationwide torch relay has faced numerous problems since it began in March – nearly half of the legs on the route have been disrupted.

Kyoto and Hiroshima also scrapped plans for the relay to go through public roads.

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