‘Regrettable’: Tokyo Olympics to be held without spectators

Bishkek, July 9, 2021. / Kabat / . Organisers of the Tokyo Olympics agreed on Thursday to ban fans from the events under a COVID-19 state of emergency, Al Jazeera reported.

“We reached an agreement on no spectators at venues in Tokyo,” Japan’s Olympics Minister Tamayo Marukawa said.

The widely expected move – which means the Games will happen mostly behind closed doors – was made following talks between the government, Tokyo organisers, and Olympic and paralympic representatives.

It was “regrettable” that the Games were going to be held in a limited format, Tokyo 2020 President Seiko Hashimoto told a briefing, adding her apologies to those who had bought tickets.

Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said it was essential to prevent Tokyo, where the highly infectious Delta COVID-19 variant was spreading, from becoming the source of another wave of infections.

“Taking into consideration the impact of the Delta strain, and in order to prevent the resurgence of infections from spreading across the country, we need to step up virus prevention measures,” Suga said.

The ban all but robs the Tokyo Games, which are scheduled to run from July 23 to August 8, of their last hope for pomp and public spectacle.

Once seen as a chance for Japan to stand large on the global stage after a devastating earthquake ten years ago, the showpiece event was delayed by the pandemic last year and has been hit by huge budget overruns.

Medical experts have said for weeks that having no spectators would be the least risky option amid widespread public fears an influx of thousands of athletes and officials will lead to a new wave of infections.

Tokyo reported 920 coronavirus cases on Wednesday, the most since May. “The infections are in their expansion phase and everyone in this country must firmly understand the seriousness of it,” Dr Shigeru Omi, a top government medical adviser, said.

The decision to ban spectators is the latest blow to fans after a year’s postponement because of the pandemic, a steady downscaling of events, banning of foreign fans, and then the cap on domestic spectators.