Japan will implement a COVID emergency in Tokyo and consider hosting a fanless Olympic Games | Olympic News

As the Japanese capital battles a new wave of cases, the Olympic organizers are putting more and more pressure on spectators.

An important minister said on Thursday that Japan will declare a state of emergency in Tokyo to contain the city’s latest wave of coronavirus, which will continue to exist even during the Olympics, as organizers consider banning all spectators from participating in the Olympics.

For weeks, medical consultant experts have said that because the public is generally worried that the influx of thousands of athletes and officials will trigger a new wave of infections, no spectators at the Olympics will be the least risky option.

The organizers have banned overseas audiences and set up a The ceiling of domestic fans 50% of the capacity, it can hold up to 10,000 people. It is expected that negotiations will be held on Thursday or Friday to finalize the audience restrictions.

The President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach will arrive in Tokyo on Thursday to oversee the final stages of preparations. He will preside over the talks.

Japanese Minister of Economic Affairs Yasutoshi Nishimura stated that Tokyo will enter a state of emergency from July 12 and will continue until August 22.

The Olympic Games are scheduled to open on July 23 and last for two weeks. Close behind is the Paralympic Games.

After Tokyo’s cases rose to the highest level since mid-May, it was decided to implement a state of emergency. The Japanese capital is currently adopting slightly looser “quasi-emergency” measures.

The move is expected to take effect later on Thursday, and then Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will hold a press conference.

Some Olympics will also be held in the surrounding areas of Tokyo, such as Chiba and Kanagawa, which will maintain a “quasi-emergency state” until August 22.

According to a person familiar with the matter, the organizers told Olympic sponsors on Wednesday that they expect two situations when Tokyo enters a state of emergency: there will be no spectators or a limit of 5,000 spectators, which emphasizes that the preparations are carried out at the last minute. Reuters news agency.

The organizer told the company in the online conference that in the absence of spectators, the opening and closing ceremonies and all sports events may be held without fans, including tickets allocated to sponsors.

According to sources, if the number of spectators in each venue is capped at 5,000, the tickets allocated to Olympic sponsors will be halved. Organizers also predict that any games after 9pm (12:00 GMT) will be It will be held without an audience.

The organizing committee did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Until this week, officials have insisted that they can safely organize the Olympic Games with some spectators, but Ruling party frustrated Sources said that in the Tokyo parliamentary elections held on Sunday, some of Suga’s allies blamed the public’s anger towards the Olympics, forcing them to change their strategy.

They said that Japan will hold parliamentary elections later this year, and the government insists that the Olympic Games, which has been postponed for a year due to the pandemic, should continue, which may cause it to lose support in the ballot box.