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Virus-hit Olympics: FINA mulls cancellation of Tokyo diving tests; Osaka leg of torch relay barred from public roads
CGTN
Chinese divers compete during the women's 3-meter synchronized springboard event at the China's Diving Tests for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, January 22, 2021. /CFP

Chinese divers compete during the women's 3-meter synchronized springboard event at the China's Diving Tests for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, January 22, 2021. /CFP

The International Swimming Federation (FINA) is considering the cancellation of the Diving World Cup, which is also the Tokyo 2020 Olympics diving qualification event later this month in Tokyo, Kyodo News reported on Friday, citing sources.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the diving event has been postponed from April 21-26 in 2020 to April 18-23 this year. It will consist of 3-meter springboard and 10-meter platform in both individual and synchronized events.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, delayed by a year because of the pandemic, are set to run from July 23 to August 8 and the Paralympics will be held from August 24 to September 5.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch relay is held in Tatebayashi, Gunma Prefecture, Japan, March 30, 2021. /CFP

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch relay is held in Tatebayashi, Gunma Prefecture, Japan, March 30, 2021. /CFP

The Olympic torch relay will not be run on public roads in the city of Osaka given rising COVID-19 cases, the Japanese region's governor said Friday, but a cancellation has not yet been decided.

"We're sorry for torch relay runners ... but we won't do the torch relay on public roads in Osaka city," Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura told reporters.

"We'll discuss with the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee if there are any alternatives," he added.

His comments came a day after he and the city's mayor called for the torch relay leg to be cancelled given a recent spike in COVID-19 infections in the region.

Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura speaks at a press conference in Osaka, Japan, March 31, 2021. /CFP

Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura speaks at a press conference in Osaka, Japan, March 31, 2021. /CFP

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch relay is set to be held in Osaka in two weeks' time.

The Olympic torch relay started on March 25 in Fukushima and will arrive in Osaka in mid-April. The torch relay event has been regarded as the first major test of Tokyo 2020 organizers' ability to hold a large event under strict coronavirus curbs as the event features 10,000 runners carrying the torch through 47 prefectures.

A two-month high of more than 600 new cases reported on Thursday, prompting the prefecture to adopt new emergency measures, such as shorter business hours and requests for people to work from home, which will run until May 5.

(With input from agencies)

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