Jun 01 , 2021. 1 hour ago – 08:44 KYODO NEWS

NARITA , Japan – Members of the Australian women’s softball team on Tuesday became the first group of athletes to arrive in Japan for a training camp since the Tokyo Olympics were postponed more than a year ago due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The squad’s arrival at Narita airport, near Tokyo, came with about 50 days to go before the opening of the Olympics and the Japanese public, concerned about a surge in COVID-19 infections, largely against holding such a global sporting event this summer.

The 23 “Aussie Spirit” players and five staff, who came via Singapore, will start pre-Olympics training in Ota, Gunma Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo, on Saturday.

All team members, who have received coronavirus vaccinations, will be under strict restrictions while in Japan, where infections have been declining at a slow pace.

The team members will be required to undergo daily virus testing and be prevented from interacting with the general public, with all sleeping, dining and meeting rooms confined to a single floor in their hotel.

The players and staff will only be allowed to leave the hotel to travel to and from their training facilities. The team will train for over a month, during which it will play practice matches against clubs from the Japanese professional softball league and universities.

Since 2018, Aussie Spirit has held three training camps in Ota and had exchanges with local people through school visits and other events. To prevent the spread of infections, team members will not meet locals directly this time and online exchange events are being planned.

The team will move into the Olympic village on July 17 before playing its opening Olympic match against Japan on July 21 at Fukushima Azuma stadium. The official opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics is set for July 23.

Australia was among the teams competing at the 1996 Atlanta Games when softball made its debut and it has gone on to win one silver and three bronze medals.

Cr. KYODO NEWS