Tokyo bans international fans from Olympics

If the Tokyo Olympics go ahead this summer, it will be without fans from outside Japan.

Seiko Hashimoto, Tokyo Olympic organizing committee president made the announcement at a news conference on Saturday. The absence of global fans should not change the Games for viewers at home, she added.

“The Tokyo 2020 Games will be completely different from the past, but the essence remains the same,” Hashimoto said. “Athletes will put everything on the line and inspire people with their outstanding performances.”

600,000 tickets to be refunded

The decision is the result of an agreement by the International Olympic Committee, International Paralympic Committee and various levels of government in Japan.

600,000 tickets to Olympic events were sold to buyers overseas. An additional 30,000 paralympic event tickets were sold to international fans. These tickets will all, eventually, be refunded.

“In order to give clarity to ticket holders 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 will not be able to enter into Japan at the time of the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” the Tokyo organizing committee said in a statement.

Athletes, but not fans

The Japanese government has, since December, barred entry to the country from abroad. This is in an effort to prevent the spread of new, more infectious COVID-19 variants.

Olympic athletes, and some limited support staff, are currently exempted from this restriction.

Who will be in the stands?

The question of international fans has loomed over the Tokyo Games for months now. But it’s not the only major decision the organizing committee faces. The next big question will be how many people will be in the stands, watching live. Officials said they would meet again in April to discuss reduced capacity levels at Olympic venues.

Japanese residents make up the vast majority of ticket holders to the Tokyo Games. 4.45 million tickets were sold to domestic fans. How many will actually end up being able to use those tickets remains to be seen.

After seeing a spike in cases over the new year, Japan’s re-imposed state of emergency has been lifted across much of the country. As of this week, even Tokyo will end its state of emergency. That could mean more fans in seats. But the Olympics are still months away.