Nearly 10K Unpaid Volunteers for Tokyo Olympics Withdraw amid Concerns About COVID-19

Organizers for the Tokyo Olympics announced Thursday that 10,000 of the unpaid volunteers expected help run the 2021 Summer Games have withdrawn their names from consideration.

Stephen Wade and Kantaro Komiya of the Associated Press reported the number represents one-eighth of the 80,000 volunteers projected for the event amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We have not confirmed the individual reasons," organizers said. "In addition to concerns about the coronavirus infection, some dropped out because they found it would be difficult to actually work after checking their work shift or due to changes in their own environment."

Thursday marks 50 days until the scheduled July 23 opening ceremony for the Olympics, which were postponed from 2020 because of the pandemic.

Japan's government extended its state of emergency Friday as the country battles a fourth wave of COVID-19 with over 4,000 new infections per day, but Tokyo Olympics organizing committee CEO Toshiro Muto said there were no plans to further delay the Games.

"No one on the executive board has explicitly mentioned a view that we should cancel or postpone the Games," Muto said.

Organizers said Thursday the loss of the volunteers will not impact the Olympics' plans.

Although the organizing committee has remained steadfast in its desire to hold the Games, the idea has lost support among Japanese citizens, with recent polls showing anywhere between 50 and 80 percent of the respondents saying the Olympics shouldn't begin July 23, according to the AP.

"The Tokyo 2020 organizing committee will absolutely make sure to protect the health of the athletes," committee president Seiko Hashimoto said.

Around 11,000 athletes from over 200 countries are expected to compete in the Olympics, which begin preliminary competition July 21, two days before the official opening, and run through Aug. 8.

The Summer Paralympics will follow from Aug. 24 through Sept. 5 in Tokyo.