Tokyo Olympics Will Reportedly Move Forward Without Foreign Spectators

Though no official announcement has been made, Japanese outlet Kyodo News reported yesterday that government officials have confirmed to them that the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics will take place in summer 2021 without foreign spectators. Kyodo says that the government and Olympic committees may be meeting next week to make a formal decision, after which an announcement could be forthcoming. (On March 3, Kyodo reports, representatives from all five organizing bodies publicly committed to making a decision on overseas spectators by the end of the month.)

This news comes after more than a year of speculation surrounding the fate of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, including heightening concerns over the last few months-from the Japanese public, and athletes themselves, among others-about the risk of not only holding the postponed Olympics this summer, but of welcoming spectators from around the world. As new, more-infectious variants have begun to circulate, these concerns have become even louder (according to Kyodo, 345 people throughout the country have confirmed infections of one of the new variants from the U.K., Brazil, or South Africa). 

Currently, Japan's borders remain closed to foreign nationals, with speculation on when they may reopen. In a recent virtual event hosted by Condé Nast Traveler with the Tokyo Convention and Visitors Bureau, destination specialists predicted that even if the country were to open its borders to some travelers this spring, Americans would not be among the nationalities allowed in at that time. 

Hosting the Games without spectators is one of the few ways that this summer's pandemic-era Olympics have been predicted to play out (particularly as inside sources have repeatedly said that all-out cancellation of the international event is not an option, and that further postponement is also extremely unlikely). It is not yet clear what capacity limits will be set for Japanese spectators, though the spectator "playbook" released last month includes guidelines on attendee behavior, including restrictions on chanting or singing in the stands to reduce risk of COVID-19 transmission. 

This is a developing story and will be updated with more information.

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