Spectator limit for Tokyo Olympics may be lowered to 5,000
Jensen Jan 12, 2021
The organizing committee of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games announced Friday that the selection of tickets for the Olympic Games that exceed the maximum number of spectators has been postponed from early Saturday to early Friday, Kyodo News reported. With priority measures such as the prevention of the spread of the COVID-19 in the four capital districts being coordinated towards an extension, the OCOG felt it was necessary to wait for government guidelines around limiting large-scale activities. Further crowd compression, including empty seats, is inevitable. A five-party consultation between the organising committee and representatives from the Japanese government, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and others on June 21 agreed to a maximum of '10,000 spectators up to 50 per cent of stadium capacity' on the condition that key measures expire on July 11. But now, mindful of the difficulty of unwinding the situation, there has been a proposal within the organising committee to limit activity to '50 per cent and up to 5, 000 people', the government guideline under the key measures. The next five-party consultation is expected to be held as soon as IOC President Thomas Bach is scheduled to visit Japan on the 8th. The processing of tickets will be based on the maximum number of spectators confirmed by the five parties. The analysis said it would be technically difficult for the Olympic organising committee to re-select the number of tickets sold for a period of time exceeding the limit of 10,000. If the ceiling is changed to 5,000, it would consider allowing spectators into the stadium directly if there are fewer than 5,000 ticket buyers, and imposing empty seats at large venues with more than 5,000 people and at venues after 9pm. Yuriko Koike, governor of Tokyo, said at a press conference on Tuesday that 'it is necessary to focus on empty stadiums' in view of the worsening of the epidemic in Dorney. Olympic organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto also mentioned on the same day that 'also prepare mentally for empty venues to deal with.' The organizers had planned to announce the results on the 'My Ticket' page of the official ticketing website in the early hours of Sunday. Eight sports, including track and field and baseball, and 97 events, including the opening and closing ceremonies, accounted for more than 10 percent of the total. Those who lose again and those who do not want tickets can refund their tickets, which will be refunded at the end of the Games. Refunds will also be accepted from 11:59 am on the 6th to the 15th to 11:59 am on the 10th to the 20th.
