FILE PHOTO: Italian President Sergio Mattarella poses for a photo with Italian athletes departing to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, in Rome, Italy June 23, 2021. Paolo Giandotti/Presidential Press Office/Handout via REUTERS
TOKYO (Reuters) - Italy's decision to exempt elite athletes from strict COVID-19 curbs in the past 18 months and allow them to train has paid off in Tokyo, with the country matching its total medals haul from its previous two Olympics outings with six days still to spare.
The Italians had bagged 28 medals as of Monday, as many as in the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro and in London in 2012. Other Olympic powerhouses like Germany and France, hosts of the 2024 Games, have collected so far only about half of the more than 40 medals from the previous two editions.
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