Coronavirus: Tokyo Olympics may take place without spectators, organiser concedes
- Admission by Seiko Hashimoto that domestic as well as overseas fans may be barred comes as experts meet to review safety measures including testing procedures for athletes
- Tokyo confirmed 1,027 new cases of the virus in the city on Thursday, the worst single-day number since January 28
Other issues that were discussed included updating the playbook of recommendations covering Paralympic athletes, who will be competing from August 24, and possible ways to stop the virus spreading among spectators, if they are allowed to attend. The organisers are planning to make a decision on whether spectators will be permitted as late as possible, probably in late June.
However, Hashimoto conceded in an interview on Friday that “there might be a situation where we can’t allow any spectators to attend”.
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“The only way that we can call the Games a success is if we completely protect the lives and health of athletes and the people of Japan,” Hashimoto told Agence France-Presse, adding she was hopeful people would “be glad” the event went ahead.