Swiss cancel House of Switzerland public site at Tokyo Olympic, Paralympic Games

In a first, since the agency that markets Switzerland abroad took on responsibility for the site at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Swiss government cancels House of Switzerland public site at Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games amid Covid-19 spike

The Swiss government has cancelled plans for a House of Switzerland public site at the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, citing current health measures in Japan and travel restrictions during the sporting events.

It marked the first such cancellation since the agency that markets Switzerland abroad took on responsibility for the site at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

Organisers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics rolled out stricter coronavirus countermeasures on Wednesday, including a plan to test athletes daily, as they try to reassure a Japanese public made increasingly sceptical by the resurgent pandemic.

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