No fans at Paralympics as Tokyo battles Delta

Article posted by Coliseum, August 20^th, 2021

Image: Tokyo 2020 Paralympics & IOC

Fans will not be allowed to attend the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics Games at venues in the Tokyo (Japan) region as the Japanese capital battles its worst-yet surge of coronavirus.

The ‘Bloomberg’ stated that all events in Tokyo and neighboring prefectures of Saitama and Chiba, as well as in Shizuoka, will be held sans spectators during the games running from August 24^th through September 5^th, the Tokyo Organizing Committee said on August 16^th.

The 2020 Summer Paralympics branded as Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games are an upcoming major international multisport parasports event governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). Scheduled as the 16^th Summer Paralympic Games, they are slated to be held in Tokyo, Japan, between August 24^th and September 5^th, 2021.

Bonn (Germany)-headquartered the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is an international non-profit organization and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and functions as the international federation for nine sports.

The ‘Bloomberg’ further stated that Tokyo is scrambling to control ballooning virus cases thus forcing the Government to expand the country’s state of emergency from six to 13 prefectures until mid-September.

In light of the virus emergency “and the current infection situation broadly, more stringent measures will be taken for competitions to be held in these prefectures, including having no spectators,” a joint statement by the International Paralympic Committee and the Tokyo and national Governments read.

The above decision comes after the Government’s top virus adviser Shigeru Omi called on Tokyoites to reduce their outings by 50 percent compared with the period immediately prior to the current emergency.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics were held behind closed doors from July 23^rd through August 8^th after organizers faced pressure to better protect public health during the global pandemic. The decision to bar fans was a first in the modern Olympic movement that dates back to the late 19^th century.

Since the start of the Olympics, the daily number of coronavirus cases has more than quadrupled in Tokyo, driven by the more contagious Delta variant of the virus.

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