Newsdeck

Newsdeck

Paralympics to Go Without Fans as Tokyo Battles Virus Surge

The running track and field at the National Stadium, the main venue for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, in Tokyo.

(Bloomberg) --The Paralympics will be held without fans at venues in the Tokyo region as the Japanese capital battles its worst-yet surge of coronavirus.

By Ayai Tomisawa
Aug 16, 2021, 1:47 PM – Updated on Aug 16, 2021, 1:47 PM
Word Count: 259

All events in Tokyo and neighboring prefectures of Saitama and Chiba, as well as in Shizuoka, will be held without spectators during the games running from Aug. 24 through Sept. 5, the Tokyo Organizing Committee said on Monday. Tokyo is scrambling to control ballooning virus cases, which have prompted the metropolitan and national governments to consider extending a state of emergency in the capital, currently set to be lifted at the end of August.

In light of the virus emergency “and the current infection situation broadly, more stringent measures will be taken for competitions to be held in these prefectures, including having no spectators,” according to the joint statement with the International Paralympic Committee and the Tokyo and national governments.

The decision comes after the government’s top virus adviser Shigeru Omi called on Tokyoites to reduce their outings by 50% compared with the period immediately prior to the current emergency.

The Olympics were held behind closed doors from July 23 through Aug. 8 after organizers faced pressure to better protect public health during the global pandemic. The decision to bar fans was a first in the modern Olympic movement that dates back to the late 19th century.

Since the start of the Olympics, the daily number of coronavirus cases has more than quadrupled in Tokyo, driven by the more contagious delta variant of the virus.

Also Read: Olympic Athletes Struggle With Arenas Devoid of Cheering Fans

–With assistance from Eric Pfanner.

© 2021 Bloomberg L.P.

Information pertaining to Covid-19, vaccines, how to control the spread of the virus and potential treatments is ever-changing. Under the South African Disaster Management Act Regulation 11(5)(c) it is prohibited to publish information through any medium with the intention to deceive people on government measures to address COVID-19. We are therefore disabling the comment section on this article in order to protect both the commenting member and ourselves from potential liability. Should you have additional information that you think we should know, please email [email protected]

Gallery

Please peer review 3 community comments before your comment can be posted

We would like our readers to start paying for Daily Maverick...

…but we are not going to force you to. Over 10 million users come to us each month for the news. We have not put it behind a paywall because the truth should not be a luxury.

Instead we ask our readers who can afford to contribute, even a small amount each month, to do so.

If you appreciate it and want to see us keep going then please consider contributing whatever you can.

Support Daily Maverick→
Payment options

Become a Maverick Insider

This could have been a paywall

On another site this would have been a paywall. Maverick Insider keeps our content free for all.

Become an Insider

Every seed of hope will one day sprout.

South African citizens throughout the country are standing up for our human rights. Stay informed, connected and inspired by our weekly FREE Maverick Citizen newsletter.