ATHENS, Greece -- The Greek Olympic committee suspended the rest of its torch relay on Friday because of the “unexpectedly large crowd” that gathered to watch despite repeated requests for the public to stay away to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
The committee said a large crowd had gathered to watch the flame for the Tokyo Olympics pass through the southern Greek town of Sparta. The flame for the Tokyo Olympics was lit Thursday at the birthplace of the games in Ancient Olympia in a pared-down ceremony.
“(We took) the difficult but essential decision to cancel the rest of the program of the flame relay on Greek territory,” the committee said.