Any tickets purchased by overseas residents for the postponed Games, which were due to start on July 23, will be refunded.
The decision was made following a virtual meeting between the “five parties” – the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG), the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee and the Government of Japan. – with the IOC and IPC saying that they respect and accept this conclusion.
“Currently, the COVID-19 situation in Japan and many other countries around the world is still very challenging and a number of variant strains have emerged, while international travel worldwide is severely restricted,” the statement said.
“Given the current situation of the pandemic, it is highly unlikely that access to Japan will be guaranteed to people from overseas this summer.
“In order to provide clarity to cardholders residing abroad and to enable them to adjust their travel plans at this stage, the parties on the Japanese side have concluded that they would not be able to enter Japan. to go during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. ‘
Organizers say the decision will contribute to ensuring safe and secure Games for all entrants and the Japanese public, and will not affect accredited Games entrants, and will be expected to launch the ‘Tokyo 2020 Playbooks’ to follow.
In March 2020, organizers had to postpone for the first time in the history of the Olympic Games due to the coronvairus pandemic.
The Games are scheduled to take place from July 23 to August 8 and the Paralympic Games from August 24 to September 5.
The country only began vaccinating its population of 126 million people with Pfizer-BioNTech shots at the end of February, more than two months after the vaccine expanded to other major countries.
Apart from the Covid-19 complications, both the head of the Tokyo Olympics, Yoshiro Mori, and the creative head of the Tokyo Olympics, Hiroshi Sasaki, were forced to resign after making derogatory remarks about women.