Tokyo Olympics to be held without fans
TOKYO: Fans will be banned from Olympic venues in Tokyo and the capital will be under a virus state of emergency throughout the pandemic-postponed Games, Japan’s government announced on Thursday just two weeks before the opening ceremony.
The decision means Tokyo 2020 will be the first Games ever held largely behind closed doors, the latest unprecedented decision about a Games that will be like no other.
When the Games were postponed last year as the scale of the pandemic became clear, there was talk that the event would be staged as proof the world had overcome the virus.
But that triumphant talk has given way to the harsh reality of new infection surges and more contagious variants, including the Delta strain which has spooked officials in Japan.
The country has seen a comparatively small virus outbreak, and avoided tough lockdowns, but it also moved slowly to start vaccinations and only about 15 per cent of its population is fully vaccinated so far.
With infections rising in the capital, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Thursday announced Tokyo would be under a virus emergency from July 12 until August 22.
The measure is significantly looser than lockdowns seen elsewhere, largely limiting alcohol sales, shortening opening hours for restaurants and capping event attendances at 5,000 people.
But it signals a growing concern about the current rate of infections, and appears to have piled pressure on Olympic
organisers who had hoped to have up to 10,000 local fans in venues after barring overseas spectators.
Organisers met on Thursday evening with local and national government officials and Olympic and Paralympic chiefs to take what Tokyo 2020 chief Seiko Hashimoto termed a “very difficult decision”.
“We reached an agreement on no spectators at venues in Tokyo,” Olympic Minister Tamayo Marukawa said after the talks.
Most Olympic events are being staged in Tokyo, but some — including surfing, football, baseball and the marathon — will take place outside the capital.
Marukawa said a decision on spectators at events outside Tokyo would be taken in consultation with the governors of each region.