Anti-Olympic petition attracts tens of thousands of signatures in days

An anti-Olympic petition has garnered tens of thousands of signatures within a matter of days, coming less than three months before the Summer Olympics are slated to begin.

The petition was started by Kenji Utsunomiya, who ran for governor of Tokyo multiple times, and is aimed at Thomas Bach, the Olympic Committee president, The Associated Press reported.

“Government policies are being set with the Olympics in mind, and measures to curb the coronavirus pandemic are being neglected,” Utsunomiya told the AP. “Hospital are stretched thin, and some people are dying at home.”

The Olympics are set to be held in Tokyo, where there is currently a state of emergency for the number of coronavirus cases the city is experiencing.

The petition suggests that the government has been more focused on using resources for the Olympics instead of putting those resources toward helping fight against the pandemic.

The petition currently has more than 140,000 signatures and garnered more than 50,000 signatures in the first 24 hours it was online. The goal is 150,000 signatures.

Many in the country do not want the Olympics to be hosted, and small protests against the Olympics are slated for when Bach visits Japan later this month.

The country has already spent $15.4 billion preparing for the Olympics.

Many health professionals have voiced concerns about the safety of holding the Olympics, with some people at the torch relay already contracting the virus.

Pfizer has said they will donate coronavirus vaccines to the Olympics for athletes.

The head of the Tokyo Olympics and other high-ranking officials have said multiple times that they will not be canceling the games.