Due to concern among the Japanese public about COVID-19, Japan’s government has decided to stage this year’s Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics without overseas spectators, according to Kyodo news agency that cited officials with knowledge of the matter.
Kyodo said that the government had concluded that inviting fans from abroad would not be possible given the public concern about the coronavirus and detection of more contagious variants in many countries.
#BREAKING: Japan to stage Tokyo Olympics without overseas spectatorshttps://t.co/5LW1vwQbYe pic.twitter.com/I1cT2EIwGD
— Kyodo News | Japan (@kyodo_english) March 9, 2021
According to the report, the Japanese government and the Japanese organizing committee of the Games are expected to hold a remote meeting with the International Olympic Committee and two other bodies later this month to make a formal decision on the issue of overseas visitors.
Olympics are due to take place between July 23 and August 8 and would be followed by Paralympics from August 24 to September 5.
On March 3, the representatives of the five organising bodies agreed to decide on overseas spectators by the end of this month. They will then decide in April on the number of spectators to be allowed into the venues.
