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DPA
Tokyo
Olympic organisers said on Monday they wanted to allow up to 10,000 Japanese fans per event at the Tokyo Games despite the coronavirus pandemic.
The plan, which would see no more than half the number of seats at venues filled, comes after talks with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) but is not yet the final decision.
The Games were delayed by a year because of the global health crisis.
The Olympics will take place from July 23 – August 8 with foreign spectators banned.
If the coronavirus infection rate worsens in Tokyo by July 12 and a full state of emergency has to be declared again, spectators could still be completely locked out.
IOC president Thomas Bach had already left the Japanese to make the final call.
“The IOC will fully support your decision,” he said.
The 67-year-old has reiterated that the Tokyo Games would be held “safely and securely” and has pointed to a vaccination rate of more than 80 per cent among athletes.
A member of the Ugandan team became the first Olympic participant from abroad to test positive on arrival in Japan on Sunday.
The Japanese government’s most important coronavirus expert, Shigeru Omi, had recently spoken out in favour of events behind closed doors.
According to a nationwide Kyodo poll conducted at the weekend, 40.3 per cent of Japanese citizens also think the Tokyo Olympics should be held without spectators, with 30.8 per cent of respondents believing the Games should be cancelled.
Due to ongoing concerns about the spread of the virus and its mutations during the Games, planned public viewings in Tokyo have already been cancelled.
The vaccination process got off to an extremely slow start in Japan and has only recently gained momentum.
Japan recently decided to lift a coronavirus state of emergency that had been in effect for months in Tokyo.
However, some restrictions are to remain in place and media reports say the government was mulling a quasi state of emergency during the Games.
The Olympic competitions will be held in about 40 arenas in Tokyo and other Japanese regions. In some cases more tickets have already been sold than are now available.
For the Paralympics, which start on August 24, a decision on spectators is to be made on July 16.
Tokyo
Olympic organisers said on Monday they wanted to allow up to 10,000 Japanese fans per event at the Tokyo Games despite the coronavirus pandemic.
The plan, which would see no more than half the number of seats at venues filled, comes after talks with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) but is not yet the final decision.
The Games were delayed by a year because of the global health crisis.
The Olympics will take place from July 23 – August 8 with foreign spectators banned.
If the coronavirus infection rate worsens in Tokyo by July 12 and a full state of emergency has to be declared again, spectators could still be completely locked out.
IOC president Thomas Bach had already left the Japanese to make the final call.
“The IOC will fully support your decision,” he said.
The 67-year-old has reiterated that the Tokyo Games would be held “safely and securely” and has pointed to a vaccination rate of more than 80 per cent among athletes.
A member of the Ugandan team became the first Olympic participant from abroad to test positive on arrival in Japan on Sunday.
The Japanese government’s most important coronavirus expert, Shigeru Omi, had recently spoken out in favour of events behind closed doors.
According to a nationwide Kyodo poll conducted at the weekend, 40.3 per cent of Japanese citizens also think the Tokyo Olympics should be held without spectators, with 30.8 per cent of respondents believing the Games should be cancelled.
Due to ongoing concerns about the spread of the virus and its mutations during the Games, planned public viewings in Tokyo have already been cancelled.
The vaccination process got off to an extremely slow start in Japan and has only recently gained momentum.
Japan recently decided to lift a coronavirus state of emergency that had been in effect for months in Tokyo.
However, some restrictions are to remain in place and media reports say the government was mulling a quasi state of emergency during the Games.
The Olympic competitions will be held in about 40 arenas in Tokyo and other Japanese regions. In some cases more tickets have already been sold than are now available.
For the Paralympics, which start on August 24, a decision on spectators is to be made on July 16.
