Olympic flame handover ceremony behind closed doors

US actor Gerard Butler runs as a torchbearer during the Olympic torch relay of the Tokyo Games in the Greek town of Sparta on Friday. Pic/PTI

The Olympic flame handover ceremony for the Tokyo Games will take place without spectators in an effort to contain the coronavirus outbreak, the Greek Olympic committee said Monday.

The committee said the accreditation cards that had been issued for Thursday's ceremony at the stadium in Athens where the first modern Olympics were held in 1896 would not be valid.

The body's headquarters will also remain closed from Monday until further notice. The committee cancelled the remainder of the Olympic torch relay last week after crowds gathered in southern Greece to watch part of the torch relay in Sparta, where the torch was carried by actor Gerard Butler.

Greek health authorities have warned people to stay home, and have shut down everything from restaurants, bars and cafes to public organized beaches, ski resorts, hair salons and movie theatres, in an effort to curb the spread of the virus. Greece currently has 331 confirmed cases and four deaths.

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