Japan Olympics chief: torch handover in Olympia to be held without children

The Olympic torch handover ceremony in Greece on March 19 will be held without children due to the novel coronavirus, as will the arrival ceremony in Japan on March 20, Tokyo 2020 Olympics organizing committee president Yoshiro Mori said on Friday.

The torch lighting in Olympia, which marks the start of a relay that will end with the opening ceremony on July 24 in Tokyo, will be held at the site of the ancient Olympic Games on March 12.

Following a seven-day relay in Greece there will be a handover ceremony in Athens to Japan on March 19.

The Olympic flame is ceremonially lit months in advance of the Games at the birthplace of the ancient Olympics in southern Greece.

[Reuters]