To prevent the coronavirus from spreading at the Tokyo Olympics, athletes will wear their medals around their necks themsleves.
International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach announced the “very significant change” to traditional medal presentations in the 339 events on Wednesday.
“The medals will not be given around the neck,” Bach told international media on a conference call from Tokyo. “They will be presented to the athlete on a tray and then the athlete will take the medal him or herself.”
“It will be made sure that the person who will put the medal on tray will do so only with disinfected gloves so that the athlete can be sure that nobody touched them before,” Bach added.
The Olympic practice differs from that of European football, where UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has personally draped medals over the necks of players at recent championship finals.
At the Euro 2020 medal and trophy ceremony in London on Sunday, Ceferin shook hands with Italy’s star goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. In a penalty shootout, Donnarumma’s save secured Italy’s victory over England.
Bach confirmed on Wednesday that in Tokyo “there will be no shake hands and there will be no hugs there during the ceremony.”
An IOC member or a high-ranking official from a sport’s governing body often presents an Olympic medal.
The International Olympic Committee previously stated that medalists and ceremony officials would be required to wear masks.
The Tokyo Olympics begin on July 23 with the city in a state of emergency due to an increase of COVID-19 cases.
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