TOKYO: Overseas spectators will not be allowed entry into Japan for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 due to the prevailing worldwide Covid-19 pandemic, organizers said on Saturday, adding that tickets purchased by them will be refunded.
Ever since the 2013 election of Tokyo as the host of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG), the Organising Committee Tokyo 2020, and the Government of Japan have been preparing for the Tokyo 2020 Games with the goal of welcoming domestic and overseas spectators and celebrating the athletes.
Currently, the Covid-19 situation in Japan and many other countries around the world is still very challenging and a number of variant strains have emerged, whilst international travel remains severely restricted globally.
In order to give clarity to ticket holders living overseas and to enable them to adjust their travel plans at this stage, the parties on the Japanese side have come to the conclusion that they will not be able to enter Japan at the time of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Organising Committee Tokyo 2020 said.
This conclusion will further contribute to ensuring safe and secure Games for all participants and the Japanese public, it added.
In line with their principle of safety first for all participants and out of respect for all the parties on the Japanese side, the IOC and IPC announced that they fully respect and accept this conclusion.
Under these circumstances, ticketholders from overseas will soon be informed of the refund mechanism, a statement from the organizing committee said.
Accredited Games participants coming to Japan this summer will continue to be required to follow the Tokyo 2020 Playbooks for their stakeholder group, it added, highlighting that a second version will be released by the end of April.
Tokyo 2020 President Hashimoto said: “In many ways, the Tokyo 2020 Games will be completely different to any previous Games. However, the essentials of the Games will remain unchanged, as athletes give their utmost and inspire the world with transcendent performances. ”
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is scheduled to run from July 23 to August 8, 2021, and the Paralympic Games from August 24 to September 5, 2021
