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HomeSportTokyo Olympics: Up to 10,000 spectators will be permitted at venues

Tokyo Olympics: Up to 10,000 spectators will be permitted at venues

The Olympics are scheduled to begin on the 23rd of July, while the Paralympics follow a month later, from the 24th of August

Up to 10,000 fans from Japan will be allowed to attend the Tokyo 2020 Olympic venues, despite many warnings from the country’s health bosses.

Overseas spectators are not permitted to attend, however, organisers have said that domestic fans could attend, providing that crowds did not exceed the limit of 50% of a venue’s capacity.

Fans will not be permitted to shout or speak loudly in the venues and must wear face coverings while within the venues at all times. 

The Olympics are scheduled to begin on the 23rd of July, while the Paralympics follow a month later, from the 24th of August.

Spectator numbers for the Paralympics is set to be confirmed by the 16th of July, said a joint statement from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the Tokyo 2020 organising committee, the Tokyo metropolitan government and the government of Japan.

This comes after the president of Tokyo 2020, Seiko Hashimoto, is “100%” certain that the Olympics will go ahead, but has warned that the Games “must be prepared” in order to proceed without spectators in the event of an outbreak of COVID-19.

The decision to allow for spectators to be present at the event is despite the release of a report by Japanese medical experts last week that said that holding the Games without the spectators was the “least risky” and the most desirable option.

“There are so many cases, domestically and internationally [of] sports events with spectators,” said Tokyo 2020 organising committee president Seiko Hashimoto.

“By exercising thorough measures and based on the government criteria, we believe we can hold the Games with spectators.

“The entire world is facing the same issues, and we have to work together to overcome them.”

Delegates and sponsors will be classed as event organisers, and therefore will not be included within the 10,000 spectator limit at the Games.

Should there be a rapid increase in coronavirus infections and impact on the healthcare systems in Japan, the five parties will consider further COVID-19 restrictions.

This could include a further reducing of spectator numbers at the Olympic venues.

There are fears that the Olympics may trigger a surge in coronavirus infections within Japan.

This comes after a doctors group has said that hospitals in the country’s capital of Tokyo are already currently overwhelmed and ‘have almost no spare capacity’. People took part in protesting against the hosting of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in Tokyo on May the 17th.

As a result of this, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga last week has encouraged the Japanese public to watch the Olympic Games on television, rather than attending the events in person.

On Sunday, the state of emergency within Tokyo was lifted, five weeks before the start of the Games.

Emergency coronavirus restrictions had been in place in Japan’s capital and other prefectures since late April during a surge in cases of infection.

However, some “quasi-emergency” measures will be remaining in some areas, including within Tokyo, until the 11th of July.

Eve Cooper
Eve Cooper
I've been writing articles and stories for as long as I can remember and in the past few years I've had the fortune of turning that love & passion for writing into my job :)

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