The organizers have announced that after the Tokyo Olympics, the Tokyo Paralympics is also set to be held without spectators due to coronavirus.
The decision was made at a four-party remote meeting between the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan government, and the government of Japan.
The public has also been asked not to go to the roadside to watch some of the events taking place around Tokyo.
This decision comes due to the rise in COVID cases in Japan and with regions like Tokyo, Saitama, and Chiba all in a state of emergency, the organizers have decided its best to not let the fans inside the stadium.
In a joint statement, organizers said, “We very much regret that this situation has impacted the Paralympic Games, following the Olympic Games and we sincerely apologize to all ticket buyers who were looking forward to watching the Games at the venues.”
They further added, “We hope that you understand that these measures are unavoidable and being implemented in order to prevent the spread of infection. Everyone is encouraged to watch the Games at home.”
The Paralympics is all set to take place between August 24 and September 5 and will see a total of 540 events to be held across 22 sports. Tokyo Paralympics will see over 4000 athletes set to participate from a record 168 countries.
A record 54 Indian athletes will be seen competing at Tokyo Paralympics across nine sports – archery, athletics, badminton, shooting, table tennis, para canoeing, swimming, powerlifting, and taekwondo.