Japan forces co-operation in COVID in Tokyo, beating Olympics without fans | Olympic issues

As the Japanese capital struggles with new charges, the pressure is mounting on Olympic athletes.

Japan wants to announce Tokyo’s invasion of the city’s last coronaviruses, which will continue to host the Olympics, the prime minister said on Thursday, as planners plan to ban all spectators from the event.

Medical advisers have said for several weeks that the lack of spectators at the Games could be a serious threat to the community, where there are concerns that thousands of athletes and administrators have introduced new infections.

Organizers have already banned foreign viewers and set up design of home fans at 50 percent of power, up to more than 10,000 people. Final negotiations to ban spectators are expected on Thursday or Friday.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach, who arrived in Tokyo on Thursday to oversee the final phase of preparations, will lead the talks.

Japan’s finance minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, who is overseeing the government’s response to the coronavirus crisis, said the emergency in Tokyo should begin on July 12 and last until August 22.

The Olympic Games are set to begin on July 23 and take place in two weeks. It will be followed by the Paralympic Games.

The idea of ​​setting up an emergency is following an increase in the number of cases in Tokyo until mid-May. The Japanese capital is currently undergoing a series of “quasi emergency” tests.

This is expected to be established later on Thursday and will be followed by a press conference by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

Areas close to Tokyo where the Olympic events are also expected to take place, such as Chiba and Kanagawa, are expected to be under “quasi emergency” by August 22.

Emphasizing last-minute preparations, the organizers told Olympic sponsors on Wednesday that they were expecting two events that Tokyo could be challenging: without spectators or setting a 5,000-person limit for spectators, a well-known source told Reuters news agency.

Based on spectators, opening and closing ceremonies, as well as sporting events, it will probably take place without fans, in addition to the tickets provided by the sponsors, the organizers told the companies at online conferences.

When the number of spectators exceeds 5,000 at the venue, tickets for Olympic donors have been reduced, and administrators also expect that each section before 9:00 (12:00 GMT) will be free of spectators, the source said.

The editorial committee did not immediately respond to an email requesting a response.

Until this week, officials insisted that they could arrange the Games carefully with other spectators, but a the ruling party backslides In the Tokyo by-elections on Sunday, Suga’s colleagues said they were angry at the Olympic team, forcing a change, sources said.

Japan will hold parliamentary elections later this year and the government is insisting that the Games – which were suspended earlier this year due to the epidemic – continue to cost money at the ballot box, he said.