The Olympic Games will finally be held without an audience.
This was agreed on Thursday by the Japanese authorities hours after Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared a state of emergency in Tokyo for six weeks to contain the increase in COVID-19 cases.
"Many people were looking forward to seeing the matches at the venues, but I would like everyone to fully enjoy watching the matches on television at home," explained the capital's governor, Yuriko Koike, after meeting with members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC , for its acronym in English) and the organizers of the event.
The announcement was made shortly after the arrival in Tokyo of IOC President Thomas Bach, who must serve a mandatory three-day quarantine at the hotel where he is staying.
Foreign spectators were already banned months ago, but just two weeks ago it was confirmed that up to 10,000 spectators would be allowed in stadiums.
This new decision totally changes the plans and affects the opening ceremony, the most followed event of the Games.
The state of emergency will last from July 12 to August 22, which covers the entire period that the Games will last: from July 23 to August 8.
In this way, all competitions - both exterior and interior - will be held behind closed doors.
The Paralympic Games will be played between August 24 and September 5.
A social distancing poster in front of a police officer prior to the arrival of International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach at Haneda Airport ahead of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan on July 8, 2021. REUTERS / Kim Kyung-Hoon