Foreign spectators face Games ban
Plans are taking shape for Tokyo’s blighted Summer Olympics to go ahead in July, with athletes largely vaccinated against the coronavirus, but overseas spectators likely banned and limits put on the number of domestic fans inside stadiums, according to officials and media reports.
‘‘In my opinion now, it’s more a question of how than if,’’ Andrew Parsons, president of the International Paralympic Committee, told a news conference ahead of a key meeting of the organisers of the Games.
The Games were postponed last year because of the pandemic, and opinion polls show a majority of Japanese people say they should not go ahead in the summer.
Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, stressed the importance of making sure the Games were safe for the people of Japan and especially the population of Tokyo, and said the IOC wanted to contribute by making sure as many participants as possible are vaccinated before arriving in the country.
‘‘I can inform you that a considerable number of National Olympic Committees have already secured these pre-tokyo vaccinations,’’ he said, adding that athletes would only be inoculated after people deemed at high risk had been protected from the virus, and in line with national regulations.
Olympic champion sprinter Yohan Blake, of Jamaica, said this week he would rather miss the Tokyo Games than be vaccinated against the coronavirus, and Bach has repeatedly said a vaccine won’t be mandatory. But he is trying to bring as much moral pressure as he can on athletes, coaches and officials.
‘‘This is also an important message for Japan and for you, that the Olympic participants, with these efforts to get vaccinated, do also want to show their solidarity with the Japanese people and with the entire Olympic community,’’ Bach said.
While athletes can largely be confined in training camps and the Olympic Village, the prospect of a horde of foreign spectators wandering around Tokyo has scared many people.
It was then hardly a surprise when the Mainichi newspaper reported that the Japanese government has ‘‘begun preparations’’ to host the Games without overseas spectators.
Seiko Hashimoto, president of the Tokyo 2020 organising committee, said a final decision on overseas spectators would be made by the end of March, but she hoped to be able to make an announcement by the time the torch relay starts on March 25. She dropped a strong hint that banning overseas spectators was the only way to ensure a ‘‘safe and secure Games’’ and calm concerns among the public.
Olympics Minister Tamayo Murakawa also hinted at the government’s position, speaking about ‘‘heightened interest’’ among the Japanese public about virus variants and the need to reassure people that the Games would be safe. ‘‘We need to build an environment where people can rest assured to welcome the Games.’’
Bach said the IOC was standing by the side of the Japanese organisers.
Hashimoto said a decision on limits for domestic spectators would be made by the end of April, in accordance with expert advice and government guidelines on spectators. Japan has allowed limited numbers of spectators to attend sports events through the pandemic, albeit with bans on cheering, clapping and drinking alcohol.