Tokyo (AFP)
The Tokyo Olympics will take place without spectators from abroad, due to fears related to the Covid-19 pandemic, Japanese media said Tuesday, citing officials on condition of anonymity.
"It was agreed (...) that a decision concerning spectators coming from abroad would be taken at the end of March," reacted the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to AFP.
According to Kyodo News, the Japanese government has already concluded that it was "not possible" to allow supporters living outside Japan to attend the Olympics, due to "the concerns of the Japanese public about the coronavirus" and the makes "more contagious variants detected in many countries".
According to the daily Asahi Shimbun, the IOC has asked Japan to make exceptions for foreign guests linked to the sponsors of the competition, with the government considering the request.
Safety will be the "top priority" of the Games, organizers said.
The event, which was scheduled to take place last year but has been postponed for a year due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, is scheduled to begin on July 23 and end on August 8.
Around 900,000 tickets have already been sold outside of Japan.
Organizers are due to formally decide on the issue this month, after a meeting between the Japanese government, Tokyo Municipality, Games organizers, the IOC and the International Paralympic Committee, according to Japanese media.
The trend is to exclude foreign spectators, they had already reported after a meeting between these bodies last week.
Some 77% of Japanese are opposed to the presence of audiences from abroad at the Tokyo Olympics because of the current health crisis, according to a poll by the daily Yomiuri Shimbun published on Monday.
Tokyo-2020 President Seiko Hashimoto said on Friday that the organizers "really want to hold the event in full stadiums with supporters from all over the world," but they will have a hard time "if we are not able. to welcome them and if the situation of the medical facilities is not perfect ".
© 2021 AFP