Fukushima to Host Some 2020 Olympics Events to Recover From Nuclear Disaster

Fukushima Prefecture, affected by the 2011 nuclear disaster, will host some baseball and softball events of the 2020 Olympic Games, the Tokyo Olympics organizing committee said Friday in a statement.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The committee expressed hope that Olympic events held in Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures would help the whole Tohoku region recover from the tragedy of 2011.

"By hosting Olympic baseball and softball events, Fukushima will have a great platform to show the world the extent of its recovery in the 10 years since the disaster. It will also be a wonderful chance for us to show our gratitude towards those who assisted in the region’s reconstruction. And I’m sure the people of Fukushima are also looking forward very much to seeing Olympics events hosted there," Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori said as quoted in the statement.

In March 2011, a 9.0-magnitude offshore earthquake triggered a 46-foot tsunami that hit Japan's Fukushima NPP, leading to the leakage of radioactive material into the surrounding environment and the shutdown of the plant. People are still prohibited to live in the settlements located near the NPP and the clean-up operations are expected to take about 40 years.

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