サモア、国外選手は東京五輪派遣　国内勢は参加見送り〔五輪〕

　【シドニー時事】サモア五輪委員会は１日、東京五輪にはサモア国内から選手は参加せず、国外を拠点とする選手だけを派遣すると発表した。３選手の派遣を予定していた重量挙げには出場しないが、ボクシングや柔道などには出場する方針。
　サモア政府は既に、日本で新型コロナウイルスの感染が拡大していることを理由に選手団を派遣しない方針を決定。これを受けて、サモアが五輪参加の見送りを決めたと一部で報じられていた。
　サモア五輪委のフェプレアイ会長は声明で、政府決定の理由を説明した上で、サモア国外で活動する選手については「五輪が終わっても、海外の拠点に戻る。サモアには戻らない」として、参加には支障ないとの認識を示した。（2021/07/01-15:46）

The Samoa Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee said Thursday that only Samoan athletes based overseas will represent the Polynesian island country at this summer's Tokyo Olympics.
   Athletes who are based in Australia for boxing, New Zealand for sailing and canoeing, the United States for athletics and Japan for judo will participate in the event, according to SASNOC.
   The weightlifting team, which has three members qualified to compete in the Tokyo Olympics and is based in Samoa, will not attend the games, it said.
   The Samoan government has decided not to send its Olympic delegation to Japan, where novel coronavirus infection cases are increasing, in order to protect Samoan citizens from the virus. Following the decision, some media reports said that the country has decided not to participate in the games at all.
   After the Olympics is over, the participating athletes "will be heading back to their overseas bases," and none of them will return to Samoa, SASNOC President Patrick Fepulea'i said in a statement, indicating that there will be no problem with the overseas-based athletes' participation in the Olympics.