Number Of Spectators At Tokyo Games To Be Decided
Five parties preparing for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games will meet on Monday to decide how many domestic spectators should be allowed amid the coronavirus threat.
Officials from the Games' organizing committee, the Japanese government, the Tokyo Metropolitan government and the International Olympic and Paralympic committees are taking part.
Their discussion is expected to be based on the government's policy on events.
The Japanese government is set to cap attendance at major events at 50 percent of venue capacity, with an upper limit of 10,000, after it lifts the state of emergency and focused restriction measures.
The organizers already decided in March to ban overseas spectators.
A group of infectious disease experts submitted on Friday their opinions on the matter to the government and organizing committee.
They said it is desirable to hold the events without spectators.
They also recommended that if spectators are allowed at the Games' venues, more rigorous restrictions should be applied than those currently in place for large-scale events.
They added that if the spread of the virus looks to be on the rise, organizers should switch to banning spectators.
The chief of the organizing committee, Hashimoto Seiko, responded by saying that the Games may be held without spectators depending on the infection situation.