Japanese Spectators Grateful for Return of Track Stars

Japanese fans soaked up the atmosphere on the Sept 13 opening day of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, four years after being shut out of the same stadium for the pandemic-troubled Olympics.

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TOKYO - Japanese fans soaked up the atmosphere on the Sept 13 opening day of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, four years after being shut out of the same stadium for the pandemic-troubled Olympics.

The Tokyo Games, postponed a year until 2021 because of Covid-19, took place amid the ghostly backdrop of empty stands with fans barred to prevent the spread of infection.

Japanese spectators were determined to make up for lost time as the World Championships opened on a cloudy, muggy morning, with fans arriving before the race walk began at 7.30am.

Hajime Kondo, a 41-year-old office worker from nearby Chiba, came to watch with his wife Yukiko and their six-year-old son.

"We've just arrived but we watched the race walk, and when the Japanese athletes went past, people got very excited," he told AFP.

"Kids get to watch athletes in action, and it makes them want to do it too. It's a good incentive for them."

Kondo and his wife managed to buy tickets for the Olympic kayak slalom in a lottery four years ago but were forced to watch it at home on TV when the organisers banned fans from most events.