MAEBASHI (JAPAN) – Athletes from South Sudan who are training in Japan made the best of the opportunity for more practice, which they pledged to keep the momentum going, in spite of mounting uncertainty over this year’s event.
Four track athletes and a coach from South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, and one of its poorest, arrived in November 2019 in Maebashi, a city 100 km (62 miles) northwest of Tokyo, to make the best use of Japan’s better training conditions.
After the summer games were postponed by a year, they were forced to extend their stay to find infections are still raging worldwide.
Akoon Akoon, one of the athletes, said, “If that will be held, it’s OK, and that is all.”
He added that instead of weighing the competing perspectives over the viability of the games, he chose to get on with his training,
“I don’t want to confuse my mind. I just focus on my training,” Akoon, 18, who will compete in the 400-metre race and the hurdles event over the same distance, said.
Japan, with a tally of 390,687 infections and 5,766 deaths, had declared a state of emergency in Tokyo and 10 prefectures that sources say the government is likely to have it extended on Tuesday.
Abraham Majok, a 1,500-m runner, said Olympic participation was important for South Sudan, to instill a sense of national unity in the country struck by years of civil war.
“The image of the team here is a big sign of unity, because all of us are from different states,” said Majok, 21.
“When our people back home watch us all from different states working together…and representing the country at the world level, the people will really be happy.”
Maebashi, with a population of 335,000, has raised donations of 31 million yen ($296,197) nationwide to extend support to the training camp for the South Sudanese athletes, enough to carry them through the rescheduled Games this summer.
Besides city officials, volunteer translators and Japanese coaches provide help at practice sessions on a windswept field five days a week.
City official Shinichi Hagiwara said, “After watching them work so hard, I, of course, hope the Games will take place this year,” said
“Even if the Games get cancelled, there’s always 2024.”
The 2024 Games are to be held in Paris.
