Fans from abroad to be barred from Tokyo Olympics

Spectators from abroad will be barred from the postponed Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, organizers said on Saturday.

The decision was announced after an online meeting of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the Japanese government, the Tokyo government and local organizers.

The Games, which begin in July, were already delayed by a year due to the pandemic. During that period, the Tokyo organizing committee has been scrambling to forge ahead with plans to hold the world's largest sporting event while protecting both participants and local residents from COVID-19.

"The fact that spectators are not able to attend the games from abroad is very disappointing, and it's regrettable," said Seiko Hashimoto, president of the Tokyo organizing committee. "It was an unavoidable decision."

The IOC and the IPC said that "for the reason of the safety of every Games participant and the Japanese people, their conclusion is fully respected and accepted".

They stressed that all tickets to the Games already bought by overseas residents would be refunded.

Calling it a "difficult decision", IOC President Thomas Bach encouraged national organizing committees to secure vaccines for athletes, and he announced this month that China had offered to provide vaccinations for participants who required one before the Games.

But as vaccine rollout has been relatively slow in Japan, not all local spectators will have the chance to be inoculated before the Olympics open on July 23. Not all of the estimated 15,400 athletes will be required to be vaccinated to enter Japan but they will be tested before leaving home, tested upon arrival in Japan, and tested frequently while they reside in the athletes village, or at venues or training facilities.

On Sunday, Japan reported 695 new cases, bringing the total number of infections in the nation to more than 456,000 with 8,823 deaths. In order to push ahead with the Olympics, the Japanese government lifted a widespread state of emergency, which started in early January, with Tokyo the last region to exit on Sunday.

Some Japanese lawmakers had criticized the timing, but Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga insisted doing so while asking the public to continue wearing masks, wash hands frequently and refrain from dining in large groups.