Plane leaves Japan for Greece to collect Olympic flame

Is this not a total waste of fuel? since no organisers and top ranking officials will be flying on the plane and non on its returning journey , why couldn't this be brought back on a scheduled plane?

Nobody's coming back with the flame. Japan just announced a 14 day quarantine. Just roll it down the steps.

I'd be more worried about all those people standing next to each other in the photo.

Look, the olympic fame run was halted 3 quaters way through the run. Why are the japanese people doing ???.

is Greece excluded fro the corona virus ???.

but there was no delegation from organizers onboard due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.

Officials want to go on with the Olympics but afraid of the virus. Isn’t this a conflicting message?!!!

And why waste fuel and time? A lighter from Daiso would be enough, isn’t it?

It’s a great idea to keep pumping money into something that isn’t going to happen in August.

More insensitive and insulting behaviour towards those people and countries dealing with the consequences of Covid19. Not to mention a colossal waste of money. Lack of social distancing in the photo isn't helpful neither.

The photo speaks volumes; in a time when the government has asked us to social distance, these people stand side by side to wave a plane off on a fool's errand. And won't the people who bring back the flame, and the flame itself, need to be quarantined for two weeks on both ends?

Don't knock Abe. He's the only one being positive. Maybe we need some light.

For all of our sakes, we should hope the Olympics goes ahead. Although I personally don't believe it will.

In a way, even though it's wrong, if the Japan government are suppressing the real numbers they are containing the panic stampede.

Imagine your local super and combini if they revealed the situation was far worse here.

The flight to and from Greece will not be wasted. They will bring back the Olympic flame, keep it alight for a year and fourth months for Tokyo 2021 Games.

Hopefully the flame is all it collects. It appears as though the Japanese and Tokyo governments are just buying time to sort out all the legal matters concerning postponing the Olympics, like will the Athletes' Village still be available next year even though the condo owners expect to move in in September? You know how Abe will be asked all these questions at the press conference and if he doesn't have answers he will look ashamed. Thats how it works. Make sure you cover all your bases, then make your move.

Can someone explain to me why “high level” people are abstaining (due to the Virus) but “low level” officials will now do the dirty work?

What the heck? Is it too dangerous for these high levelers? Then don’t take the salary if you can’t deal with the responsibility!

Take your name off the delegation head and put ur low level official there for all I care.

中止だ中止

Just cancel it.

How can it be possible to carry an open flame in a plane?

Wont a big flame set the fire alarm system like even a cigarette is supposed to?

And how many countries athletes will be able to actually attend the games? And wont the games just be an invitation for more corona cases from abroad to Tokyo?

Tokyo 2020 said it chose not to send the high-level delegation, which was originally set to include organizing committee president Yoshiro Mori and Olympics minister Seiko Hashimoto, to Greece due to the coronavirus.

What are people supposed to think of this? Cancel or delay it already.

I really can't understand all this hatred towards the Olympics.

I do understand worries over the virus, but nowadays it seems like people are almost hoping that the virus won't go away and that the games won't happen. Don't you people understand how many people depend on these games? How many businesses? If the games are cancelled, many people (my family included) will loose their jobs, simple as that. Many small businesses have also invested in the games, and now with all this trouble with COVID, you wouldn't really want more trouble on them by cancelling the games.

Postponing them would be reasonable. But cancelling all together a disaster.

@ Vinke

where is your plan B?

Amazing carbon footprint, I’m sure.

And now the Olympic flame will be in 14-day quarantine.

@Vinke,

If your entire livelihood was built around a one-time Olympic event, you're doing it wrong. What were your plans in September, October, and after that when the Games were done? Maybe it's time to start looking toward those plans now.

Yes, there is a lot of money invested that would be lost if the Olympics were cancelled. There would be some temporary economic fallout and hardship for some people. On the other hand, tens and perhaps hundreds of thousands of extra people moving around the world during a three-week span in the middle of a pandemic could ultimately sicken and kill vast numbers of people, overwhelm hospitals, and leave a far nastier economic impact. If the Olympics have to be cancelled, there may be financial support available for those economically hurt. If a lot of people die because the Olympics were held during a pandemic, there's not a lot that anyone can give for those lost lives.

Tokyo 2020 said it chose not to send the high-level delegation, which was originally set to include organizing committee president Yoshiro Mori and Olympics minister Seiko Hashimoto, to Greece due to the coronavirus.

So they are worried enough that they decide not to send the top brass but some 'expendable' sheep. Could they be any more obvious that they know there's a problem but are pretending it's not there?

Don't knock Abe. He's the only one being positive. Maybe we need some light.

Is he being 'positive', or delusional? Abe seems to be in denial of facts and reality.

Bravo! Thanks JAL and ANA. Keep up the great work.

The International Olympic Committee said on Tuesday that it does not plan any "drastic" decisions about the Games, saying it remains fully committed to the event being staged in four months' time despite the global spread of the coronavirus.

I think the keywords in this part of the article are “four months time”. Because that’s often how much time that we have till the Olympics, four months time. Considering that China is loosening up it’s locked down now, and even some Japanese schools are, don’t think that it’s all over for the Olympics, oh no.

And as more and more lockdowns get lifted in the next month or two, when they have to make a decision on whether or not to have the Olympics, don’t think for second that they’ll blow all those billions of dollars, if it’s quite clear that they’ll definitely have it under control by the time of the Olympics.

Woke up this morning to this. Japan is seriously out of touch with reality. Cancel it, do what you need to take care of your people and to prepare for what is coming.

Just over night , now 275 million people locked down in Europe, 218,000 reported cases, 475 dead in Italy alone in one day. The US is invoking the Defence Production Act, not used since the Korean War, which will alllow the government to force industry to manufacture masks/respiratory devices.

This virus is coming and it is going to cause untold deaths around the world and many experts are (finally) mentioning 1918, and a likely second wave later in the year/mutation measures

Japan, wake up. Nobody will be coming here for the Olympics. All schools should be closed now, and measures taken to prepare people for the inevitable full lockdown coming.

The only way to stop this is with full quarantine- Doctor in Milan.

Yet Japan sends off a plane to get the Olympic torch.

@mikeylikesit

If your entire livelihood was built around a one-time Olympic event, you're doing it wrong. What were your plans in September, October, and after that when the Games were done? Maybe it's time to start looking toward those plans now.

Perhaps you don't know how the Olympics work and how they are arranged. Work for them takes years, and people are hired for them on a project basis. People who work for Olympics have to apply for their jobs separately, and again, for each games. Again, the work is not just for the few months, but a few years. Or do people really think the infrastructure, permits, absolutely everything involved around the games, just appears from somewhere in few months?

Hundreds of people have moved to Tokyo, and to Japan, to work on this exact project. They have left their homes, home countries, etc. and brought their families to Japan for this job. People have counted on to be hired until the games are over - until October or so. If the games are suddenly cancelled, and the jobs suddenly gone, how do you expect to find a new job immediately? Especially in Japan, where age discrimination is rampant.

People are not stupid, of course they know, that they need to find new jobs after the games, but finding and getting a job, and perhaps organising your life again in another country, takes months. You can't do it in a split second. People are also working in 10-14h shifts now, so there really isn't that much time to quickly secure the next job.

I can't believe how cold, insensitive and unsupportive some people can be.

What a waste!

It feels like the plot of Akira now. If the Olympic still goes ahead, please include a reenactment of the scene where Tetsuo, symbolising the virus, rampaging through Tokyo.