No Spectators for Tokyo Olympics as State of Emergency Imposed

No spectators will be allowed at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in two weeks as the Japanese government announced Thursday a state of emergency to deal with a continued high level of coronavirus infections. A decision on the Paralympics will be made after the Olympics.

The national and metropolitan governments, the organizing committee and International Olympic and Paralympic Committees announced the decision after a meeting to discuss the state of emergency.

“The state of emergency in Tokyo is being implemented as a measure aimed at suppressing the flow of people in order to prevent the spread of infection now, because the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases remains high and the number of people infected with variant COVID-19 strains in Tokyo is increasing,” officials said in a joint statement.

“In response to the state of emergency, stricter measures with regard to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 have also been decided by the three Japanese parties.

“No spectators will be allowed into any venues in Tokyo during the Olympic Games.”

Equestrian events–dressage, eventing and jumping–are within the Tokyo metropolitan area. Dressage is the first equestrian event on the schedule, with the horse inspection set for July 23.

In areas where emergency measures are not in force, local government authorities will decide specific measures based on the situation in each area.

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