The Tokyo Olympics will allow some local fans to attend when the games open in just over a month, organizing committee officials and the IOC said on Monday.
The Tokyo Games are set to open on July 23.
Organizers set a limit of 50% of capacity up to a maximum of 10,000 fans for all Olympic venues.
The decision was announced after Five Party talks online with local organizers, the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee, the Japanese government and the government of metropolitan Tokyo.
The decision contradicts the country’s top medical adviser, Dr. Shigeru Omi, who recommended last week that the safest way to hold the Olympics would be without fans. He had previously called it “abnormal” to hold the Olympics during the pandemic.
Local organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto said it was important to acknowledge the uncertainty around the pandemic during the games.
“We need to be very flexible. If there is any abrupt change in the situation, we will hold five-party meetings again to make other decisions,” Hashimoto said. “If there is an announcement of a state of emergency during the games, all the options like no-spectator games will be examined.”
Fans from abroad were banned several months ago. Officials say local fans will be under strict rules. They will not be allowed to cheer, must wear masks, and are being told to go straight home afterward.
ICC Issues Arrest Warrants For Netanyahu, Gallant And Al-Masri
Russia Fires Intercontinental Missile In Ukraine Attack — Kyiv
South African Police Raid Warehouses Amid Food Poisoning Deaths
Russian Missile Strike Kills Eight, Wounds 39 In Ukraine’s Odesa Region