REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK: 'The COVID measures in place here make this one of the most complicated journeys I've ever been on,' writes JamesAALongman on what it's like at the Tokyo Games.
In order to travel, I needed a test every day for three days before leaving. I had to download and register two separate apps – one to track my health and the other my location. Data privacy has always been a major concern for contact tracing apps, and I wasn't wild about having to download the location one.I travelled with so much paper documentation it was like having a phonebook in my bag.
For the athletes, it's far worse, of course: years of preparation and training could be for nothing if a teammate, a bus driver, a complete stranger who happened to spend just a little too long in their company tests positive, and they are required to isolate.The arrival at Haneda Airport was a swift but mind-boggling gauntlet of officials in Tokyo 2020 uniforms checking paperwork.
You are tested at the airport – told to spit into a little test tube, and then you wait for the result there. The athletes from my plane arrived a little after me and while I could tell they were still enjoying the experience, the worry about not passing this airport test successfully must have been on their minds. I know it was on mine.
All officials wear a mask, but you can see the smiles behind them – keen to be as welcoming as possible despite the circumstances. But the overwhelming sense I get here is pity for the Japanese. These are not the games they want to be holding. And if you look at the polls, a large majority of
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