Smoking Ban for Tokyo 2020 Venues

This photo taken on June 22, 2017 shows a man smoking a cigarette at a Yakitori bar in Toyko. - Tokyo's city government on June 27 passed strict new anti-smoking rules ahead of the 2020 Olympics, leapfrogging national legislation on lighting up that has been watered down after opposition from pro-smoking MPs. (Photo by JIJI PRESS / JIJI PRESS / AFP) / Japan OUT (Photo credit should read JIJI PRESS/AFP/Getty Images)

(ATR) Smoking will not be permitted at any of the Olympic or Paralympic venues during the Tokyo 2020 Games.

The Tokyo Organizing Committee announced the plan on Thursday, saying that the ban will include heated tobacco products and other vaping devices.

The policy requires indoor venues, outdoor venues and any secure perimeters of venues operated by Tokyo 2020 to be smoke-free. A similar policy was enacted for PyeongChang 2018.

During London 2012 and Rio 2016, the smoking ban was limited to inside indoor competition venues and smoking areas were provided around the outside of these.

Tokyo 2020 says it wants "to protectthe health and safety of athletes, spectators and officials" and decided to adopt the stricter guidelines based on guidance from the IOC and the enactment of anti-smoking laws in Japan. An amendment to Japan's Health Promotion Law and Tokyo's new regulations to reduce the incidence of passive smoking both go into full effect on April 1, 2020.

The Olympic Village and other sites overseen by Tokyo 2020 will have smoking areas, though they will be installed "distant from where stakeholders will pass". Smoking will be allowed only in those designated areas at these places.

In the case of the IOC hotel, all security areas will be non-smoking but guest rooms and other areas outside of Tokyo 2020’s operation will follow the facility’s smoking guidelines.

Written by Gerard Farek

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