Tokyo Olympic organizers brace for no spectators

TOKYO, April 28 Kyodo - The organizing body of the Tokyo Olympics is prepared for the possibility of holding this summer's global sporting event without spectators as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage, the committee's president said Wednesday. "If the situation is expected to cause problems for the medical system, in order to put the highest priority on safety and security, there may come a time when we have to decide to go ahead with no spectators," Seiko Hashimoto said after attending a virtual meeting with other organizers of the Tokyo Games. During the five-party meeting, also attended by International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, the organizers agreed to make a final decision regarding spectator capacity at venues in June, due to the need to closely monitor the pandemic. While the organizers have already decided to bar spectators from overseas, Hashimoto also told a press conference that it will be "extremely difficult" to stage the Olympics and Paralympics in front of full crowds if the current infection situation in Japan does not improve. As part of efforts to ensure the safety of the games, the organizers decided to test all participating athletes for the virus on a daily basis in principle. With less than three months until the beginning of the Olympics, athletes and staff from overseas will also be tested for the virus twice before their departure from their respective countries, according to the organizing body. The new rules are included in the updated version of the organizers' "playbooks," featuring anti-virus measures to be in place during the games. "The IOC is fully committed to the successful and safe delivery of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020," Bach said in his opening remarks at the online meeting, adding they will "strictly enforce" COVID-19 rules. While Japan's roughly 577,000 confirmed COVID-19 infections are fewer than many other countries, media polls have repeatedly shown that a majority of the Japanese people are not in favor of hosting the games this summer following a one-year postponement. The organizers have emphasized the importance of testing athletes and visiting officials frequently to detect infections at an early stage and prevent the games from becoming a super-spreader event. However, some medical experts have voiced concerns over staging the games at this juncture when highly contagious variants of the virus are spreading in many countries, and when the strain on Japan's medical system has been increasing. On Wednesday, a senior Cabinet official said the Japanese organizers will secure about 30 hospitals capable of accepting athletes and officials during the Olympics. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has vowed to take steps to ensure the Tokyo Games are "safe and secure," but he has been unsuccessful in bringing down infections. Tokyo and several prefectures are under a third state of emergency until May 11 due to a recent spike in infections. The capital on Wednesday confirmed 925 cases of the virus, the highest figure since Jan. 28. Under the emergency that took effect Sunday, large commercial facilities, theme parks, karaoke establishments and restaurants serving alcohol have been asked to close. Meanwhile, Japan's vaccine rollout, which has been criticized as too slow, only began for those aged 65 and over earlier this month, and it is impossible for much of the general public to be inoculated by the start of the Olympics on July 23. The IOC and the Tokyo organizing committee have not made vaccination a requirement for athletes and officials. But the IOC has recommended they receive shots to protect the health of the participants and the Japanese public. ==Kyodo