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		</div><p>Tokyo organisers have downsized the arrival ceremony for the Olympic torch because of the spreading Covid-19.</p>
<p>Organising committee president Yoshiro Mori said Friday that 140 children will not be sent to Greece to give the flame a send off on March 19, a day before it is due to arrive in Japan.</p>
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<p>“It’s a gut-wrenching decision not to be able to let them perform,” Mr Mori said, speaking in Japanese.</p>
<p>The Olympic torch will be kindled on March 12 in a ceremony in Greece and then flown to Japan.</p>
<p>It is to land in Miyagi at a Japan Air Self-Defence base in the northern part of the country.</p>
<figure id="attachment_151145" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-151145" style="width: 600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="size-full wp-image-151145" src="https://londonglossy.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/64AF8454-4A27-4DA9-89F7-43ADFA082189.jpeg" alt="" width="600" height="465" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-151145" class="wp-caption-text">The Olympic Flame is lit by an actress dressed as the High Priestess, using a parabolic mirror to reflect the rays of the sun, during a rehearsal for the London flame ceremony in Greece</figcaption></figure>
<p>Mr Mori said the the changes forced by the spreading virus “make me feel even more strongly about not losing the fight”.</p>
<p>“Of course we are worried,” he added.</p>
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<p>“But the government is doing its utmost to battle the situation, and scientists are fighting against the challenges.</p>
<p>“I believe in the power of human beings and the efforts from around the world.</p>
<p>“But that doesn’t mean will just wait and hope.”</p>
<p>Mr Mori referred obliquely to changes being made.</p>
<p>The IOC says the 2020 Games will go on as planned, but others have speculated about postponing, cancelling, moving events or changing cities, or even holding an Olympics without fans.</p>
<p>“The Tokyo Olympics should be held even if parts of it have to be modified,” Mr Mori said.</p>
<p>“But it does not mean we will scale it down.”</p>
<p>The four-month torch relay around Japan begins on March 26 from Fukushima prefecture, located about 150 miles northeast of Tokyo.</p>
<p>It is to end on July 24 at the new 1.43 billion US dollar national stadium in Tokyo.</p>
<p>Mr Mori did not discuss any other changes to the relay.</p>
<figure id="attachment_151147" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-151147" style="width: 600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img src="https://londonglossy.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/3122DA54-315F-46D3-952A-EA91DC28E27E.jpeg" alt="" width="600" height="400" class="size-full wp-image-151147" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-151147" class="wp-caption-text">The New National Stadium, a venue for the opening and closing ceremonies at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, is seen from Shibuya Sky observation deck</figcaption></figure>
<p>He was asked about the opening on July 24 and ruled out any postponement.</p>
<p>The International Olympic Committee and local organisers have repeated over and over that the Olympics will open as scheduled.</p>
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<p>The Paralympics are set to begin on August 25.</p>
<p>Virologists, however, say it’s impossible to tell if the spreading virus will allow that to happen.</p>
<p>Twelve deaths in Japan have been attributed to the virus.</p>
<p>China is reporting more than 3,000 deaths from the virus, and still has more than 80% of the world cases, though outbreaks are surging in Italy, Iran and South Korea.</p>
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