The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Tokyo Olympics: Organizers lean for Games without spectators from abroad

2021-03-04T06:01:33.532Z


Due to the pandemic, the organizers of the Tokyo-2020 Olympics scheduled for this summer are leaning towards banning spectators from overseas, Japanese media said Thursday, when a final decision had to be made at the latest. end of March.


The Japanese government, the city of Tokyo and the Olympic organizing committee would be in favor of holding the event in front of a local audience only, several local media, including the daily Yomiuri, said.

Officials fear that an influx of foreign visitors could endanger the Japanese public, who are very reluctant to hold the Games.

"As the spread of the coronavirus continues in all countries, they have decided that allowing the arrival of foreign visitors on a large scale will only make people anxious," Yomiuri said.

The safety of the Japanese "is the priority", the president of the organizing committee Seiko Hashimoto told reporters on Wednesday after meeting with officials from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Japanese government and the city of Tokyo. .

Stakeholders have agreed to make a decision by the end of the month, ideally before the start of the Olympic Torch Relay on March 25 in Japan.

But statements from organizers before and after Wednesday's talks suggest that overseas spectators will be kept away from the event.

IOC President Thomas Bach said organizers should focus on the essentials of the Games, while Japanese Olympic Minister Tamayo Marukawa said a “cautious decision” was needed.

Mr Bach announced last week a likely decision in late April or early May regarding audiences from overseas, but Ms Hashimoto said on Wednesday that supporters, hotels and tour operators should be notified sooner.

Around 900,000 tickets for the event have reportedly already been sold outside of Japan.

For tickets sold in the Archipelago, the size of the stands at each competition venue will be determined in April.

The coronavirus state of emergency currently in place in greater Tokyo, which was due to end on Sunday, will likely be extended by about two weeks.

The Tokyo Olympics, postponed last year because of the pandemic, are scheduled from July 23 to August 8, despite the persistence of the health crisis in the world.

Read also

  • IOC grants Brisbane the status of preferential candidate for the 2032 Olympics

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2021-03-04

You may like

Trends 24h

News/Politics 2024-03-28T06:04:53.137Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.