A rally to welcome the Olympic flame was held in Tokyo. At a protest rally against the 2020 Olympic Games, Japanese residents with English-language posters urged the government to cancel the competition, according to Russian media reports. One protester said the government should use the money to fight the coronavirus, not the Olympics.

Protesters said there was no need for the Olympics. It should be noted that this is not the first time that the Japanese have approached the government with such a request. Earlier, Japan's leading medical organization said in an open letter that the country cannot host the Olympics and that hundreds of thousands of people have signed a petition calling for the Games to be canceled. Earlier last week, a state of emergency was declared in Japan. Because in Tokyo alone, more than a thousand cases of infection are recorded every day. The head of the 2020 Olympic Games Coordination Commission, John Cotes, said the state of emergency would not affect the Olympic Games.

More than 100 cases of COVID-19 have already been identified at the Tokyo Games. Toshiro Muto, executive director of the Olympic Organizing Committee, said that the question of canceling the Games would be raised if there was an increase in coronavirus infections among athletes.

The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games will take place today, July 23, at 15:00 Baku time. Competitions will be held from July 23 to August 8.

Nigar