Report: Spectators will face Olympic ban as Tokyo declares state of emergency over coronavirus

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The Tokyo 2020 logo is displayed near Odaiba Seaside Park in Tokyo on July 7, 2021, as the Japanese government is reported to be planning to impose a virus emergency in Tokyo during the Olympics.

Kazuhiro Nogi | AFP | Getty Images

Olympic organizers are set to ban all spectators from the games, the Asahi daily said Thursday, as Japan declared a state of emergency related to the coronavirus in Tokyo that will continue during its hosting of the event to curb a new wave of infections.

Quoting people involved in the games, the newspaper said the organizers were due to formally reach a decision on spectators during the five-way talks between the main parties on Thursday.

If the spectator ban is confirmed, it would be the latest blow to the faltering Olympics, which have been postponed for a year by the pandemic and plagued by a series of setbacks, including massive budget overruns.

Medical experts have said for weeks that not having spectators at the Games would be the least risky option amid widespread public fears that an influx of thousands of athletes and officials would lead to a new wave of injuries.

“I, of course, support ‘no spectators’ but the concerns will never go away as long as we have a big event like the Games, along with holidays and the holiday season,” said Yuki Furuz, a professor at Kyoto University who works with the government’s coronavirus. Expert group.

Furuse recently predicted that daily new cases in Tokyo could increase to 1,000 in July and 2,000 in August, increasing the risk of hospital beds in the metropolitan area.

Anyone who wanted to support the athletes was told to clap rather than cheer or sing. Sources told Reuters that sponsors are canceling or reducing the size of booths and games-related events, frustrated with “last-minute” decisions made by organizers.

The talks, scheduled for 8 p.m. (1100 GMT), are chaired by International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, who arrived in Tokyo on Thursday. Other participants include the Tokyo government, national governments and Paralympic Games officials.

“Taking into account the impact of the coronavirus variables and not allowing the infection to spread again to the rest of the country, we need to strengthen our countermeasures,” Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said.

“Given the situation, we will declare a state of emergency for Tokyo,” he added.

Infections rise in Tokyo

Japan has not experienced the kind of explosive COVID-19 outbreak seen in many other countries, but it has more than 810,000 cases and 14,900 deaths.

The slow rollout of the vaccine means that only a quarter of the population has received at least one injection of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The new emergency in Tokyo comes as the capital reported 896 new daily infections on Thursday, close to the highest levels seen in mid-May.

New restrictions in Tokyo, under which restaurants will be required to stop serving alcohol, will start on Monday and run through August 22.

The games are scheduled to take place from July 23 to August 8.

Emphasizing the nature of the last-minute preparations, organizers presented different scenarios to viewers for Olympic sponsors until late Wednesday, according to a source familiar with the situation.

Sponsors have been told that in the absence of spectators, it is likely that all sports and opening and closing ceremonies will take place without spectators, which means tickets reserved for sponsors cannot be used.

The lack of crowds will likely put more pressure on the games’ budget, which has already exploded to an estimated $15.4 billion, with ticket revenue of about $815 million expected to take a huge hit.

The organizing committee did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.

Until this week, officials insisted they could safely stage the games with some spectators, but the ruling party’s setback in Sunday’s Tokyo assembly elections, which some Suga allies attributed to public anger over the Olympics, forced a change of course, the sources said.

They said Japan will hold parliamentary elections later this year, and the government’s insistence that the Games – which were postponed last year as the virus spread across the world – must continue this year could cost them at the polls.

Disclosure: NBCUniversal parent CNBC owns NBC Sports and the NBC Olympics. NBC Olympics is the US broadcast rights holder for all Summer and Winter Games until 2032.

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