Olympics-No spectators 'least risky' option for Tokyo 2020, experts say
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[June 19, 2021]
By Sakura Murakami, Rocky Swift and Linda Sieg
TOKYO (Reuters) -Japanese medical
experts said on Friday that banning spectators at the Olympics was
the least risky option for holding the Games, even as they appeared
resigned to the possibility of fans in venues during the COVID-19
pandemic.
The government and Tokyo 2020 organisers have for months held off
deciding whether domestic spectators will be allowed - overseas fans
are already banned - underscoring their desire to salvage the event
amid deep public opposition.
Japan has avoided the kind of explosive coronavirus outbreaks that
crippled many other countries. But the vaccine roll-out has been
slow and the medical system pushed to the brink in parts of the
country. The government's drive to hold the Games has been
criticised by hospitals and doctors' unions.
"There is a risk the movement of people and opportunities to
interact during the Olympics will spread infections and strain the
medical system," the experts, led by top health adviser Shigeru Omi,
said in a report issued on Friday.
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They said that holding the Games without spectators was the "least
risky" option and the desirable one.
Yet Omi's experts have already floated the possibility that venues could
hold up to 10,000 fans in areas where "quasi-emergency" measures, such
as shorter restaurant hours, have been lifted. That has heightened the
perception the Games may well be held with spectators.
The final decision is expected at a meeting set for Monday between
organisers, including Tokyo 2020 and the International Olympic
Committee, and representatives from the national and Tokyo governments.
The president of Tokyo 2020, Seiko Hashimoto, said that while she
accepted the Olympics would be safer without spectators, organisers were
still looking for ways to have fans safely in venues, like other events.
"Given that other sports events are being held with spectators, I think
it's also Tokyo 2020's job to continue to look for ways to understand
and lessen the risk of infections at the Olympics until we've exhausted
all the possibilities," she told a news conference following the release
of Omi's report.
PUBLIC OPPOSITION
The Games were delayed last year as the pandemic raged. Cancellation
would be costly for organisers, the Tokyo government, sponsors and
insurers.
Some 41% of people want the Games cancelled, according to a Jiji news
poll released on Friday. If the Games go ahead, 64% of the public want
them without spectators, the poll found.
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![](../images/061921PIX/olympics%20no%20spec_small.JPG)
A general view of the Olympic Stadium
(National Stadium) in Tokyo, Japan June 17, 2021. REUTERS/Pawel
Kopczynski
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Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's
government decided on Thursday to end emergency coronavirus curbs in
nine prefectures including Tokyo while keeping some
"quasi-emergency" restrictions.
Tokyo is scheduled to be under such restrictions until July 11. The
current state of emergency, the third since April last year, expires
on June 20.
The lifting of previous emergencies has been followed by increased
infections and strains on hospitals.
Organisers should be prepared to act swiftly to ban spectators or
declare another state of emergency if needed, the experts said. If
spectators are allowed, rules should be strict, such as limiting
fans to local residents, the experts said.
'NOT NORMAL'
Omi, a former World Health Organization official, has become
increasingly outspoken about the risks from the event. He told
parliament this month it was "not normal" to hold the Games during a
pandemic.
Other Japanese health experts and medical organisation have been
much more vocal, calling for the Games to be cancelled outright.
One of the signatories of Omi's recommendations, Kyoto University
professor Hiroshi Nishiura, said he believed cancelling the Games
would be best, but the decision was for the government and
organisers.
"If the epidemic situation worsened, no spectators and cancelling
the Games in the middle (of the event) should be debated," he told
Reuters.
The country has recorded more than 776,000 cases and over 14,200
deaths, while just 15% of its population has had at least one
COVID-19 vaccination.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2021/Jun/19/images/ads/current/rohlfs_lda_072017.png)
(Additional reporting by Antoni
Slodkowski; Writing by Linda Sieg and David Dolan; Editing by
Lincoln Feast, Robert Birsel and Giles Elgood)
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