The head of Japanese athletics broke down in tears on Friday as she promised that hosting the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo would help erase the negative memories of the “Covid Olympics” in 2021. Yuko Arimori also insisted that the biggest sporting event in Japan since the pandemic, with more than 2,000 athletes competing over nine days of competition, would help re-energise the Japanese nation.
“This was supposed to be the venue of the Tokyo Olympic Games,” she said. “Sport is not just for athletes, it is for everyone to get together, to be energised, to enjoy. So it is really meaningful to have this championship here in Tokyo as we would like to eliminate that part of the memory and revive the memory of authentic sport.
