The Japan Gymnastics Association (JGA) have announced that Tokyo will host an international gymnastics competition on November 8. The event will serve as a trial run for the rescheduled Olympics next year.
The event has been authorised by the Federation of International Gymnastics (FIG). 32 athletes from Japan, China, Russia and the United States will feature in the competition.
A limited number of fans (2,000) will be permitted to attend the one-day tournament at Yoyogi National Gymnasium.
In an online media briefing on Monday, the JGA said that all gymnasts who will be arriving from other countries will be required to take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test around 72 hours before they depart for Japan.
The 14-day quarantine period in Japan will be bypassed but each day tests will be conducted. Other international sporting events, which were cancelled or postponed due to travel restrictions caused by the pandemic including the Judo Tokyo Grand Slam and the Tokyo Marathon will take place in the coming months.
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The President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach stated that organisers are hoping to allow spectators from across the globe at the Tokyo Games next year.
Athletes will be tested for Covid-19 several times before arriving in Tokyo and also during their stay.
Training equipment in the hall and fields will be sanitised and disinfected regularly and at the end of each session.
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"This is a competition of hope," said FIG President Morinari Watanabe."Friendship and solidarity will lead us towards better days.
"Gymnastics will once again light up the Olympic Games in Japan next year,” Watanabe said. "After a challenging period, we are delighted to bring gymnastics back to the Japanese public by welcoming many of our stars to Tokyo and giving them the chance for an innovative competition on a global stage."
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