Olympic athletes to put on own medals at Tokyo ceremonies

Decision taken due to COVID-19 fear across the globe

Athletes at the Tokyo Olympics will put their medals around their own necks to protect against spreading the coronavirus.

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 the tray will do so only with disinfected gloves so that the athlete can be sure that nobody touched them before.’ The Olympic approach is different from soccer in Europe where UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has personally hung medals around the necks of players at competition finals in recent weeks.

Ceferin also shook hands with Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma at the Euro 2020 medal and trophy presentation in London on Sunday. His save in a penalty shootout clinched the title for Italy against England.

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