Associated Press (07/08/21) Yamaguchi, Mary; Wade, Stephen

The governor of Tokyo announced last week that fans will be prohibited from indoor and outdoor Tokyo-area stadiums and arenas when the Olympics begin, due to fears of coronavirus infection. The proclamation was made by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, and the ban was agreed to by Japanese Olympic organizers, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee and the metropolitan government of Tokyo. Japan's government placed the city under a COVID-19 state of emergency due to spiking new infections and the highly contagious delta variant. The ban means the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in ticket revenue, which must be compensated by the government. "Many people were looking forward to watching the games at the venues, but I would like everyone to fully enjoy watching the games on TV at home," stated Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike. "It's gut-wrenching because many people looked forward to watching at the venues." The Olympics are moving forward against most medical advice, partly because the games' postponement impacted the IOC's income flow. Roughly 11,000 Olympians and 4,400 Paralympians are expected to enter Japan, plus tens of thousands of officials, judges, administrators, sponsors, broadcasters and media; the IOC said over 80% of Olympic Village residents will be vaccinated.

Read the full story from the Associated Press.