Tokyo Olympics to Allow Spectators at Summer Games
TOKYO—The Summer Olympics in Tokyo will include up to 10,000 Japanese spectators at each event, organizers said, despite advice by leading doctors that the Games would be safer without crowds.
Monday’s decision clears up the final major uncertainty about the Games ahead of the opening ceremony on July 23. Officials said in March that foreign spectators wouldn’t be permitted to travel to Japan to attend the Olympics.
Guidelines released by the International Olympic Committee and Tokyo organizers said venues could be filled up to 50% capacity, with a maximum of 10,000 spectators at each event. Plans could change if infections in Japan rise sharply, they said.
“If the situation becomes very dire, we would have to hold the Games without spectators,” Tokyo 2020 President Seiko Hashimoto said.
Tokyo has picked up the pace of vaccinations and rolled out strict anti-coronavirus guidelines for people taking part in the Games. A member of the Ugandan Olympic team tested positive for the virus on arrival in Japan on Saturday and was quarantined at a government facility.
