IOC Coordination Head Arrives in Japan for Final Preparations for Tokyo Games - Reports
Tuesday, 15 June 2021 (13:29 IST)
Tokyo:The chair of the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) coordination commission for the Tokyo Games, John Coates, has arrived in Japan for final preparations, media reported on Tuesday.
The IOC official arrived at Haneda Airport in Tokyo earlier in the day, the NHK broadcaster reported, adding that he walked to the car waiting for him without answering any of the reporters' questions.
After undergoing a three-day quarantine, Coates is expected to start participating in preparations for the opening of the Olympics, including putting in place measures to reduce infection risks.
IOC Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi and Coordination Commission Vice-Chairman Alex Gilady are also expected to fly to Japan later in the day, the broadcaster added.
The Summer Olympics in Tokyo, initially scheduled for 2020, were postponed last year due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. The Games are currently due to take place from July 23 to August 8.
South Korea's Moon May Visit Japan During Tokyo Olympics - Reports
South Korean President Moon Jae-in is planning to visit Japan during the Summer Games in Tokyo next month, Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Tuesday, citing diplomatic sources.
According to the media outlet, Moon's possible visit would be a gesture of "gratitude," as former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in South Korea's Pyeongchang.
The South Korean side is also said to be planning to hold the first bilateral summit during Moon's visit to Tokyo.In the meantime, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato has denied the reports.
On Monday, South Korean news agency Yonhap said that Japan had unilaterally called off a meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Moon over Seoul's military maneuvers in the East Sea territory to defend the disputed Dokdo Islands.
The talks were agreed upon on the sidelines of the G7 summit in the UK seaside resort of Carbis Bay, which ended on Sunday.
The Liancourt Rocks — called Dokdo Islands by Seoul and Takeshima Islands by Tokyo — lie almost equidistant from Japan and South Korea, which maintains a small police force there. The islets have for decades been a bone of contention, with both sides stating that they have long-standing historical ties to the island group rich in natural resources.(SPUTNIK)
