“If the situation turns out to be difficult and the people of Japan express their concern, we will have to do something”, - Seiko Hashimoto said after online talks with the President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach. At the same time, the Japanese newspaper Mainichi, according to The Guardian, reported that officials have already made a decision on the presence, or rather absence, of foreign fans and will announce this by the end of the month. The newspaper quotes an anonymous government official: "In the current situation, it is not possible to attract foreign viewers".
Such an outcome is logical, given that 80% of the Japanese do not want to see thousands of tourists and most of all want the Olympics to be postponed or even canceled. In turn, the president of the organizing committee, Thomas Bach, says that the organizers are forced to focus on the main thing - the athletes, and make sure that the Games, in principle, take place.
It is expected that 11,000 athletes will take part in the Olympic competitions, and 4,400 will take part in the Paralympic events that will take place later. Tens of thousands of coaches, judges, sponsors, media and VIPs will also arrive in Tokyo. Bach said that the number of International Olympic Committees that vaccinating their athletes is encouraging. At the same time, the International Olympic Committee encourages vaccination, but does not require it. Immediately after arriving in Japan, the organizers intend to isolate the athletes in the Olympic Village near Tokyo Bay, not allowing them to leave the "bubble" until they leave the country. The decision on how many fans will be allowed into the stands will be made by the end of April, but the organizers said the competition was not discussed in the absence of fans.