A decision has finally been made in regards to allowing local spectators to attend sporting events during the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The Tokyo government and Olympic organisers have agreed to allow up to 10,000 spectators per venue as long as that number does not exceed 50 percent of the venue’s capacity. In March, the decision was already made to ban overseas spectators, meaning only people living in Japan will be able to attend.
As reported by Kyodo News, an online meeting to finalise the spectator cap was held on Monday June 21 with relevant parties including Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach. The spectator cap follows the current Japanese government policy for large events like concerts.
However, the option to ban spectators entirely remains open if the Covid-19 situation worsens leading up to – or during – the Games. Under the new guidelines, spectators attending Games events are advised to limit their movement by travelling to and from Olympic venues directly without stopping anywhere in between.
Currently, 42 percent of total seats at Olympic venues have been sold, but for some events, the number of tickets purchased is already more than 50 percent of venue capacity. The committee is considering holding a lottery to determine who will be allowed to attend.
Meanwhile, live-viewing events in Tokyo have been cancelled due to Covid-19 concerns. The venues will instead be used as mass vaccination sites.
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