Reveal Coming for Tokyo Olympics Playbook

(ATR) The much-anticipated COVID-19 playbook for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics is set to be revealed this week.

The document, expected to run into dozens of pages, will lay out the procedures and protocols to follow by all the stakeholders heading to Tokyo.

National Olympic Committees, athletes, sponsors, the IOC and media will all find this first edition of the playbook required reading ahead of making plans for Tokyo.

Bubbles for athletes, limits on sponsor activities, adjustments for media access are among the COVID-19 countermeasures that have been developed by the Japanese and Tokyo governments along with Tokyo 2020.

A Dec. 2 interim report of the coordination commission that formed the initial recommendations provides a good preview of what to expect when the playbook is released Feb. 3. Tokyo organizers say the playbook is likely to be changed as the Games approach as conditions with the coronavirus change.

State of Emergency Extension for Tokyo

A state of emergency in Tokyo and other nearby prefectures is expected to be extended until March 7, say media reports.

The added month of special measures to counter the coronavirus is the result of surging case numbers, which may have peaked.

Tokyo reported 393 new coronavirus infections on Monday, the lowest daily figure in more than a month. That number is down from 633 reported Sunday. Nationwide the coronavirus tally was around 1,790, with 80 deaths linked to the virus.

Reported by Ed Hula.