Athletes astatine the Tokyo Olympics volition enactment their medals astir their ain necks to support against spreading the coronavirus.
The "very important change" to accepted medal ceremonies successful the 339 events was revealed Wednesday by International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach.
"The medals volition not beryllium fixed astir the neck," Bach told planetary media connected a league telephone from Tokyo.
"They volition beryllium presented to the jock connected a tray and past the jock volition instrumentality the medal him oregon herself.
"It volition beryllium made definite that the idiosyncratic who volition enactment the medal connected the tray volition bash truthful lone with disinfected gloves, truthful that the jock tin beryllium definite that cipher touched them before."
The Olympic attack is antithetic to shot successful Europe wherever UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has personally hung medals astir the necks of players astatine contention finals successful caller weeks.
Ceferin besides shook hands with Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma astatine the Euro 2020 medal and trophy presumption successful London connected Sunday. His prevention successful a punishment shootout clinched the rubric for Italy against England.
Bach confirmed Wednesday that successful Tokyo "there volition beryllium nary handshakes and determination volition beryllium nary hugs during the ceremony."
Olympic medals are typically presented by an IOC subordinate oregon a starring authoritative successful a sport's governing body.
The IOC had antecedently said medalists and ceremonial officials would person to deterioration masks.
With nary paying spectators allowed to be astir Olympic events, what Bach described arsenic an "immersive dependable system" volition effort to make ambiance for the athletes successful the stadiums and venues.
Crowd sound recorded from each lawsuit astatine erstwhile Olympics volition beryllium fed into the arena arsenic 1 of respective ways to enactment the athletes, helium said.
Some athletes volition beryllium connected aft their lawsuit via screens to their families, friends and instrumentality clubs astatine home, portion fans volition beryllium capable to nonstop video clips of up to six seconds that tin beryllium displayed adjacent to the tract of play.
The Tokyo Olympics unfastened July 23 successful a authorities of exigency and rising numbers of COVID-19 cases successful the city.
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