TOKYO – Spectators from abroad will be banned from the Tokyo Olympics when they open in four months, the IOC and local organizers said on Saturday.
The decision was announced after an online meeting of the International Olympic Committee, the Japanese government, the Tokyo government, the International Paralympic Committee and local organizers.
The move was expected and rumored for several months. Officials said the risk was too great to pick up cardholders from overseas during a pandemic, an idea strongly opposed by the Japanese public. Japan attributed COVID-19 approximately 8,800 deaths and had better control of the virus than most countries.
‘To give clarity to the cardholders living overseas and to enable them to adjust their travel plans at this stage, the parties on the Japanese side have come to the conclusion that they would not be able to enter Japan during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, ”the organizing committee in Tokyo said in a statement.
About 1 million tickets were apparently sold to fans from outside Japan. Organizers have promised refunds, but this will be determined by so-called authorized ticket sellers who handle sales outside of Japan. These merchants charge fees of up to 20% above the ticket price. It is not clear whether the fees will be refunded.
“We could wait until the last minute to make a decision, except for the spectators,” said Seiko Hashimoto, chairman of the organizing committee. ‘They need to secure accommodation and flights. We must therefore decide early, otherwise we cause a lot of inconvenience. I know this is a very difficult matter. ”
Thomas Bach, president of the IOC, calls it a ‘difficult decision’.
“We have to make decisions that possibly sacrifice from everyone,” he said.
The financial burden of lost ticket sales falls on Japan. The local organizing committee budget cited $ 800 million in revenue from ticket sales, the third largest source of revenue in the private budget. Any budget deficit must be made up by the Japanese government agencies.
Overall, Japan officially spends $ 15.4 billion to host the Olympics. Several government audits say the actual cost could be twice as much. A total of $ 6.7 billion is public money.
About 4.45 million tickets were sold to residents of Japan. Next month, organizers are expected to announce the capacity at venues, which will be filled by locals.
The ban on supporters from abroad comes just days before the Olympic torch relay starts on Thursday from Fukushima Prefecture in northeastern Japan. It lasts 121 days, across Japan with 10,000 runners, and ends on July 23 during the opening ceremony at Tokyo National Stadium.
The relay will be a test for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, in which 15,400 athletes will enter Japan. They will be tested before leaving home, tested on arrival in Japan and tested regularly while living in a safe “bubble” in the Athletes Village near Tokyo Bay.
Athletes do not have to be vaccinated to enter Japan, but many do.
In the middle of the meeting on Saturday, Bach and others received a reminder about the earthquake that is prone to the northeast of Japan – and Japan in general.
A strong earthquake shook Tokyo and caused a tsunami warning when Bach and others made introductory remarks before the virtual meeting. The U.S. Geological Survey set a magnitude of 7.0 and the site was in northeastern Japan, an area hit by a major earthquake and tsunami in 2011.
“I think the screen is shaking. Did you notice that the screen was shaking, ‘said Tamayo Marukawa, the Japanese Olympic minister, when she made her presentation from Tokyo remotely with Bach on a screen in Switzerland. “We’re actually in the middle of an earthquake.”
Officials there said there were no immediate reports of damage.