Tokyo 2020 organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto said on Friday that banning all fans from the Olympics later this summer is still an option, even with the games opening in just three weeks.
It would be a reversal of a decision spelled out only 10 days ago by organizers to allow a limited number of local fans, up to 10,000, to attend.
Fans from abroad were banned months ago, deemed as too great a risk. But Thursday’s about-face comes as Tokyo sees rising new infections of COVID-19, including the rapidly spreading Delta variant, and there are fears the Olympics and Paralympics with 15,400 athletes and tens of thousands of other people entering Japan could turn into a super-spreader event.
Dr. Maria van Kerkhove with the World Health Organization during a briefing that same day also cautioned the Olympic organizers about how to proceed in terms of attendance at the Games, commenting that Euro 2020 crowds both at stadiums and bars in host cities are driving a rise in COVID-19 in Europe.
She said officials have been in communication with the International Olympic Committee and other organizers to advise them on the best use of their plans for the Games.
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