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Tokyo Olympic Games Will Be Conducted Without Spectators
The Tokyo Olympics will be held with no spectators for the duration of the 16-day event. Olympic Minister Tamayo Marukawa has confirmed that fans will be banned from all Olympic venues in response to the new coronavirus state of emergency, according to a report from Inside The Games.
Venues were originally going to be closed to international spectators, with Japanese citizens allowed to fill each stadium to 50% capacity. But that ruling was under the assumption that the COVID-19 pandemic would be under control in Japan. The country is currently under its latest “state of emergency,” meaning that Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will keep the city under its toughest COVID restrictions through August 12, which is a little less than a week after the conclusion of the Games. This will be the country’s fourth state of emergency.
Japan has reported more than 811,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 so far, resulting in the deaths of more than 14,800 people. Yesterday, the country had 1,689 reported new cases and 22 deaths. Tokyo has been specifically hit hard, with citizens previously hoping for the cancellation of the Games.
Venues without spectators will bring a unique environment to the Games, and it will be interesting to see how a quiet atmosphere affects competition – if at all. Some athletes naturally block out crowds, while others receive a boost from cheering fans.
Japan has fully vaccinated about 15% of its population and approximately 25 percent of the population are older than 65 years.
