Tokyo Olympics has been surrounded by speculation, but finally, there is some positive news for the tournament. As per the latest developments, 10,000 people could be allowed to watch Tokyo Olympics events after Japanese health experts approved plans to raise the number of spectators at sports venues.
The proposed measure would come into force after a Covid-19 state of emergency in Tokyo and other parts of the country ends on June 20 and would last until the end of August. Yasutoshi Nishimura, the minister overseeing Japan’s COVID-19 response, confirmed that strict measures should be followed while welcoming fans to the stadium.
“It is important that we maintain thorough anti-infection measures to prevent a rebound in cases, especially as we foresee a spread of the Delta variant.”
Amid concerns that allowing large numbers of people to travel to venues could trigger the fifth wave of infections in Japan, the Tokyo Olympics 2020 organising committee will not make a final decision on whether to allow domestic spectators to attend Olympic events until later this month. Currently, spectators are capped at 5,000 people or 50% of a venue’s capacity, which is way less than anticipated by the organising committee.
With just over a month to go before the Olympic opening ceremony, Tokyo has been under a state of emergency since late April to bring down the number of infections. Tokyo, Osaka, and eight other regions are under a state of emergency that is due to end on 20 June. Earlier this week, it was revealed that schools in Japan have rejected the idea of bringing students to games as part of the partnership with the event.
The leaders at the G7 gave their support to the Olympic games in an official statement. The statement insisted that G7 countries support hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games safely and securely as a symbol of global unity in overcoming COVID-19.