Japan’s government has decided to stage this summer’s delayed Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics without overseas spectators, it was claimed on Tuesday.
The Japanese news agency, Kyodo, reported that concerns among the public over the spread of Covid-19 was a key factor behind the decision.
Citing officials with knowledge of the matter, Kyodo said the government had concluded that welcoming fans from abroad would not be possible.
The detection of more contagious variants in many countries was also mentioned as a major reason for shutting the Games off to those outside Japan.
Japan’s coronavirus vaccination programme has been hampered by a lack of supply and a shortage of specialty syringes needed to inject the population.
Since the campaign began three weeks ago, just under 46,500 doses had been administered to frontline medical workers as of last Friday.
At the current rate, it would take 126 years to vaccinate Japan’s population of 126 million. Supplies are, however, expected to increase in the coming months.
Unlike many other countries, Japan requires clinical trials for new medicines, including vaccines, to be conducted with Japanese patients, slowing down the approval process.
So far, only the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech has been approved. Clinical trials in Japan for AstraZeneca and Moderna’s vaccines have been conducted and the vaccines are now awaiting regulatory approval.
Last week, Sportsmail reported that delayed Olympics, which were originally due to take place last summer, were set to go ahead without overseas fans.
Organisers still hope some domestic supporters will be able to attend events, with talks ongoing about how many may be allowed into venues. A decision on that is due to be made by April.
International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach held a meeting with Tokyo 2020 president Seiko Hashimoto earlier this month, with both hinting at a ban on spectators from abroad.
Hashimoto said the safety of the Japanese public was the ‘priority’ and admitted: ‘We really need to think long and hard about mutant strains of the virus.
‘Anxiety still remains among the voices of the citizens, and as long as there is anxiety we need to work to make sure safety and security are maintained. Overseas fans and domestic fans all want to watch the Games, but safety and security need to be maintained and ensured.’
Bach said: ‘We are doing everything to ensure the safety of the Games for all participants, but also for the Japanese people and the population of Tokyo in particular.
‘We are standing at your side, you have our full commitment. It our interest as much as it is your interest, and it’s our common obligation to secure the safety for everybody.’
Overseas athletes, coaches, officials and media will not have to quarantine on arrival in Japan but will have to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test and their movements will be restricted while in the country.
However, such restrictions would be difficult to implement for foreign fans and the Japanese government wants to focus on border controls to ensure the Games can go ahead.
