Tokyo Olympics organisers on Thursday confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in related to the torch relay after a policeman, who was assigned to the event last week, tested positive for the coronavirus.
The torch relay began on March 25 from the north eastern Fukushima prefecture.
According to reports, the 30-year-old policeman was assigned to control traffic on the April 17 leg in southwestern Kagawa prefecture. He later developed symptoms and tested positive for COVID-19.
Officials said the policeman was wearing a mask and taking social-distancing precautions and other measures.
Organisers have said that they are taking all forms of precautions and the positive case will not affect the subsequent legs of the relay.
Japan, which registered 541,496 cases and 9,710 deaths as of Tuesday, is in the middle of declaring a third state of emergency in Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo and Tokyo as the country grapples with an alarming number of COVID-19 cases.
The arrival of a fourth wave in densely populated parts of Japan has caused alarm among medical experts, and could further frustrate preparations for the Olympics, reports have said.
The Olympics is expected to go ahead and will open on July 23 as scheduled. The Paralympics will begin from August 24.
Opinion polls have shown that more than 80 per cent of Japanese public think the Olympics should be cancelled or postponed.
However, authorities have warned that if the Olympics are not held this year, it will be cancelled. In the history of the Games, the quadrennial event has been cancelled only five times: the 1916, 1940 and 1944 Summer Olympics, and Winter Games in 1940 and 1944.
