Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto announced on Saturday at a news conference that because of public concerns over COVID-19, international spectators will not be permitted to enter Japan to attend the 2020 Summer Olympic Games scheduled for 23 July - 8 August 2021.
The decision to bar international spectators was made jointly by Tokyo 2020, the IOC, the International Paralympic Committee and Japanese local and national governments.
Mr. Muto also said that accordingly, the event will be drastically scaled back, staff may be cut, and 600,000 tickets purchased by overseas residents, along with 300,000 Paralympic tickets, will be refunded. But Olympics organizers don't plan to cover costs of hotel cancellations.
Status of local spectators remains unresolved. Rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations in Japan has been slow.
Stay tuned for updates.
