Tokyo Olympics Updates
Tokyo, March 3 (AFP/APP): Tokyo Olympics organizers will decide this month whether to allow overseas fans, the Games president said Wednesday, while the number of spectators allowed in venues will be set by April.h
Tokyo 2020 chief Seiko Hashimoto told reporters that the safety of Japanese citizens “is the priority”, after holding talks with top officials from the International Olympic and Paralympic Committees, the Japanese government and the Tokyo metropolitan government.
The meeting came as a local media report claimed Japanese authorities are planning to hold the Games without overseas fans, although Hashimoto said a decision would come later this month, ideally before the delayed torch relay begins on March 25.
“We really need to think long and hard about mutant strains of the virus,” she said. “Anxiety still remains among the voices of the citizens, and as long as there is anxiety we need to work to make sure safety and security are maintained.”
International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach warned before the meeting that organisers will “focus on the essentials of the Games”, while Olympic minister Tamayo Marukawa said afterwards that “a cautious decision is necessary”.
Bach had said last week that a decision on overseas fans was likely to come in late April or early May, but Hashimoto said Wednesday that fans, hotels and travel operators needed to know sooner. “Overseas fans and domestic fans all want to watch the Games, but safety and security need to be maintained and ensured,” she said.
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Tokyo stocks closed lower on profit-taking, taking a pause after recent rallies.