Organizers allow 10,000 fans at Tokyo Olympic events

UP TO 10,000 fans will be allowed at Tokyo Olympic events, organizers said on Monday (21), warning competition could move behind closed doors if infections surge.

With the opening ceremony just weeks away, the decision has ended months of speculation with overseas fans already banned in March.

‘In light of the government’s restrictions on public events, the spectator limit for the Olympic Games will be set at 50 percent of venue capacity, up to a maximum of 10,000 people in all venues,’ organizers said in a statement.

A decision on spectators at the Paralympics will be delayed until July 16, a week before the Olympics open.

And officials left open the possibility of a reversal if there is a surge in infections.

‘If there should be major dramatic change in the infection situation, we may need to revisit this matter amongst ourselves and we may need to consider the option of having no spectators in the venues,’ Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike said.

Senior medical experts, including top advisors to the government, have said that holding the Games behind closed doors would be ‘ideal’ from a health perspective.

They fear crowds of fans could fuel a new surge in infections in a country still racing to vaccinate its residents.

The decision was arrived after five-way talks between Tokyo 2020 organizers and officials from Japan’s government, the Tokyo government, the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee.

Tokyo 2020 had already reportedly scrapped plans to sell more tickets, and may now face the prospect of organizing lotteries among existing holders for the right to attend events.

Before the Games was postponed last year, organizers had sold around 4.45 million Olympic tickets and nearly a million Paralympic tickets in Japan.