TOKYO — Up to 10,000 fans will be allowed at
Tokyo Olympic events, organizers
said Monday, warning competition could move behind closed doors if infections
surge.
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The decision, just weeks before the opening ceremony, ends months of
speculation about whether domestic spectators would be able to attend the
pandemic-postponed Games. Overseas fans were banned in March.
A lottery will determine which existing ticket-holders can attend a Games
that will be unlike any other, with cheering banned, masks mandatory, and fans
told to go straight home after the competition.
"In light of the government's restrictions on public events, the
spectator limit for the
Olympic Games will be set at 50 percent of venue
capacity, up to a maximum of 10,000 people in all venues," organizers said
in a statement.
A decision on spectators at the Paralympics will be delayed until July 16, a
week before the Olympics open.
And officials left open the possibility of a reversal if the virus rebounds.
Tokyo was under a coronavirus state of emergency until Sunday.
"If there should be major dramatic change in the infection situation,
we may need to revisit this matter amongst ourselves and we may need to
consider the option of having no spectators in the venues," Tokyo Governor
Yuriko Koike said.
Senior medical experts, including top advisors to the government, have said
holding the Games behind closed doors would be "ideal" from a health
perspective.
They fear crowds of fans could fuel a new surge in infections in a country
still racing to vaccinate its residents. Organizers said it was unlikely that
negative virus tests would be required to attend.
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