Some Idled Olympics Volunteers Reassigned
The prefectural government of Saitama, north of Tokyo, has asked Olympic volunteers who lost their assignments due to the Games spectator ban to work around venues.
Saitama is hosting golf, basketball and other sports.
About 4,000 volunteers who registered in the prefecture lost their opportunities to work following a ban on spectators.
The prefecture has decided to reassign them to tasks such as welcoming athletes heading for the venues and cleaning areas around the venues.
Twenty volunteers were seen on Sunday morning cleaning the area around the Saitama Super Arena, where basketball games will be held, and holding a banner to welcome athletes and officials.
One of them said when he learned there will be no spectators, he was so shocked that he did not even feel like seeing his Olympic volunteer uniform. But he added that now he is proud to contribute, even in a small way, to the Tokyo Games.