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The meeting, from 6 p.m. (0900 GMT), will be
held by the Tokyo 2020 organising committee, the International
Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee, the
Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the central government of
Japan, Tokyo 2020 said in a statement on Friday.
Tokyo 2020 President Seiko Hashimoto and Chief Executive Toshiro
Muto will hold a news conference after the meeting.
Organisers face tough decisions on whether to allow
international fans into Japan and on how many spectators to
allow into venues, as they design health protocols aimed at
hosting a safe Games during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Japanese government has concluded that welcoming fans from
abroad would not be possible given public concern about the
coronavirus and the detection of more contagious variants in
many countries, two sources told Reuters earlier this month.
The country's borders remain closed to tourists as a COVID-19
countermeasure and it is unclear when restrictions will be
lifted.
Hashimoto has said repeatedly that nothing was decided yet and
that she was hoping to reach a decision with the other main
organising bodies before the start of the torch relay on
Thursday next week in Fukushima.
A decision not to accept international spectators would assuage
fears among the Japanese public, with media polls showing a
majority oppose letting in overseas visitors.
It would also enable organisers and the local authorities to
keep track more easily of visitors' movements, given that
foreign athletes will be in Japan for short stays centred on
their competition periods and will likely be restricted to
certain areas.
Yet it could mean that athletes would not have family members
watching in person if it were a blanket ban on all foreign
spectators.
It would also raise new questions about finances. Figures
released in December had projected ticket sales would provide
$800 million for the Tokyo organising committee, or about 12% of
its budget. Local ticket sales have typically accounted for
70-80% of total sales at past Olympics.
The Olympics, postponed by a year because of the pandemic, are
scheduled for July 23 to Aug. 8 and the Paralympics from Aug. 24
to Sept. 5
(Reporting by Chris Gallagher; editing by John Stonestreet and
Toby Davis)
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