Pensioners defy virus fears, volunteer to keep Tokyo Olympics running

Of the 71,000 volunteers at the Olympics and Paralympics, nearly 15,000 are aged 60 or over, according to organisers. Photo: AP Photo/Markus Schreiber

Japan has tapped into its famously ageing population to help run the Tokyo Olympics, with pensioner volunteers – some into their 90s – shrugging off fears about the coronavirus to do their bit.

Takashi Kato's eyes fill with tears as he recalls how, when he was just a small boy, his mother cried when they watched the opening ceremony together the last time the Japanese capital staged the Summer Games, in 1964.