Judoka withdraws after being hit by self-driving bus in Village

TOKYO: Japanese judoka Aramitsu Kitazono has been forced to withdraw from his event in the judo competition at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics after being hit by a self-driving vehicle inside the Paralympics Village.

The 30-year-old Kitazono was due to compete on Saturday in the men's 81kg category for the visually impaired but had to pull out due to injuries, especially with bruises to his head and body.

Kitozano's coach, Yoshiyasu Endo, told the Japan Times that the athlete was recovering well. "He wanted to take good care of himself. We feel regret, but I think he is the most disappointed."

The incident took place on Thursday afternoon when the automated electric vehicle, called an e-Palette and developed by Toyota, struck Kitazono after turning right into a pedestrian crossing. He was then taken to a clinic in the village for his injuries.

The crossing connects the residential facilities and the main dining halls. At that time, two e-Palette operators and five passengers were inside the vehicle but none were injured.

On Friday, Toyota had announced that the usage of self-driven vehicles was suspended. "Firstly, we would like to express our sincerest apologies to the individual that was injured due to this unfortunate collision and we wish them a speedy recovery. We would also like to apologise for any inconvenience caused to those who use our mobility vehicles in the Athletes' Village," said the automobile company in a statement.

"All operations of the e-Palette are currently suspended. We are fully cooperating with the police investigation into the incident in order to determine the cause of this accident. In addition, we will conduct our own thorough investigation into the cause of the accident and we will continue to coordinate closely with the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to ensure that we prevent any incidents from occurring in the future," concluded the statement. IANS

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