Tokyo 2020 Spectator Plans to be Reviewed

(ATR) The number of spectators for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics could be decreased further amid a continued increase of Covid-19 infections in the Japanese capital.

(IOC)

(IOC)The current plan allowing 50 percent venue capacity with a maximum of 10,000 people is set to be reviewed as early as next week by the Japanese government and Tokyo 2020 organizers, according to Kyodo News.

Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike said on Friday that holding the Games without spectators should be considered as one of the main choices.

Koike made the comments in her first press conference since leaving the hospital on Wednesday after a week-long stay for what was described as "severe fatigue".

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga earlier this week said that the possibility of having no spectators was still an option.

In her weekly press conference on Friday, Tokyo 2020 president Seiko Hashimoto said the organizing committee is prepared should the government decide that there will be no fans in the stands.

There are other options being floated. One would decrease the cap to 5,000. Another would ban spectators from some of the events being held in the evening and night.

The 10,000 cap was approved late last month during a meeting among the five organizing bodies for Tokyo 2020 with the stipulation that it would be reviewed if the Covid-19 situation worsened. The cap was also approved with the expectation that the ongoing quasi-state of emergency for Tokyo would be lifted as scheduled on July 11.

Daily infections, however, have been on the rise since a state of emergency was lifted last month and it appears unlikely that the quasi-state of emergency can be lifted.

The number of tickets for the Olympics has already been reduced by 910,000 to 2.72 million, or about 35 percent of the total seats available.

Ticketholders are scheduled to find out on July 5 if they still have their seats. That’s when the results of a lottery are to be released. Given the latest developments, that announcement could be delayed.

Overseas spectators were ruled out in March.

The Opening Ceremony is July 23.

Homepage photo: ATR

Written by Gerard Farek

For general comments or questions,click here.

Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.

Recents Articles

Paris 2024, the Games with 12 billion interactions, 11,000 live hours and automatic replays

After the inauguration of an Artificial Intelligence Olympic Agenda that seeks to empower athletes, the competition and the public, the IOC's Director of Marketing and Digital Engagement, Leandro Larrosa, explains how the links between AI and networks will transform the imminent Olympic experience.

París 2024, los Juegos de las 12 billones de interacciones, 11 mil horas en vivo y repeticiones automáticas

Luego de la inauguración de una Agenda Olímpica de Inteligencia Artificial que busca empoderar a los atletas, la competencia y al público, el director de Marketing y Compromiso Digital del COI, Leandro Larrosa, expone cómo los vínculos entre la IA y las redes transformarán la inminente experiencia olímpica.

Bach: “There will be six to eight Palestinian athletes in Paris”

The top president reported that the IOC will grant invitations if no other athlete manages to qualify; the Arab nation has two guaranteed places, only one achieved since the beginning of the war.

Bach: “Habrá entre seis y ocho atletas palestinos en París”

El máximo mandatario informó que el COI concederá invitaciones si ningún otro atleta consigue clasificarse; la nación árabe tiene dos plazas aseguradas, solo una conseguida desde el inicio de la guerra.

Security in Paris 2024: the “anti-terrorist perimeter” was extended for the opening ceremony

Three months after the parade on the Seine River and hours after the arrest of a 16-year-old teenager, the Paris police established new security measures and stated: “The terrorist threat remains very high, even if there is no concrete threat.”

TOPICS