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XtraTime Web Desk: Amidst the growing concerns worldwide over novel coronavirus, the Olympic flame was officially handed over to Tokyo 2020 organisers by Greece at a ceremony held behind closed doors at the Panathenaic stadium, where the first modern Olympics were held in 1896. Olympic gymnastics champion Lefteris Petrounias and pole vault champion Katerina Stefanidi handed over the flame to Tokyo 2020 representative Naoko Imoto. She (Naoko Imoto) represented Japan in the swimming competition at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Imoto, a UNICEF representative, was reportedly a last-minute appointment as she already lives in Greece and did not have to travel from Japan. Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou in a statement said the ancient Olympic values of "concord, goodwill, brotherhood... are the weapon to use" against the virus. Last week's flame lighting ceremony in ancient Olympia was also carried out without spectators as Authorities decided to cancel the torch relay's Greek leg after a crowd mobbed Hollywood actor Gerard Butler at a cauldron lighting ceremony in Sparta last week. Most major sporting events across the world have been rescheduled or scrapped as a result of the pandemic, and doubts are increasingly being expressed about holding the Olympics in its current slot. But the International Olympic Committee says it is "fully committed" to holding the Games from July 24 as scheduled.