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Tokyo Olympics medals to be presented to athletes on trays

Thomas Bach: ‘There will be no handshakes and no hugs during the ceremony’

Medals will be presented to athletes on trays at the Tokyo Olympics. Photograph: Issei Kato/Getty

Mon Jul 19 2021 - 18:29

Olympic champions at the Tokyo Games starting next week can forget about having their medals hung around their necks as they stand on the podium, shaking hands with dignitaries and soaking up their success.

Instead, the three medals will be presented on a tray to the athletes on the podium and they then have to hang them around their own neck in front of the empty stands. There will also be no handshakes or hugs.

"The medals will not given around the neck," International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach explained.

“They will be presented to the athlete on a tray and the athlete will take the medal him or herself.”

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“It will be made sure the person who will put the medal on the tray will do it with disinfected gloves. Presenters and athletes will wear a mask. There will be no handshakes and no hugs during the ceremony,” he added.

The host city, where a state of emergency has been imposed until after the Games end on August 8th, is still seeing case numbers rise ahead of the Games.

The Olympics have lost much public support in Japan because of fears they will trigger a surge of infections even though no spectators will be allowed into sports venues and there are strict health measures in place for all Games participants.

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