Olympics-'Fight!': Japan cheerleaders root for athletes as Games set to open

Cheerleaders from the "All Japan Cheer Organization" perform in protective masks due to COVID-19, to cheer people up in front of Shimbashi Station, one day before the start of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan July 22, 2021 REUTERS/Androniki Christodoulou

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese cheerleaders danced and waved pom poms outside a Tokyo train station on Thursday to show their support for Olympic athletes the day before the pandemic-postponed Summer Games finally get underway.

"Let's support them with all our strength!" head cheerleader Kumi Asazuma shouted to passers-by outside Shimbashi Station as the four-person squad clapped and kicked their legs to the beat of Tony Basil's 1980's classic "Hey Mickey".