Tokyo Olympics to avoid "no spectators" situation

Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto said here on Friday that they will try to hold the Olympic Games next year with spectators in attendance, reported Xinhua.

Muto attended the first meeting on countermeasures against the COVID-19 pandemic with a Japanese government panel, which is headed by Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kazuhiro Sugita and consists of about 30 members from the central government, the Tokyo Metropolitan government and Tokyo 2020 organizing committee.

The first meeting touched upon the current status of the pandemic and basic scheme for measures for next year's Olympic and Paralympic Games.

"As for the spectators, we don't have any conclusions yet," he told reporters at a news conference. "But if possible, we'd like to avoid a 'no spectators' situation."

An executive of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, who is close outgoing Shinzo Abe had claimed the games "should definitely take place, even without spectators," Japan's JiJi Press reported earlier.

Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori was against the idea of holding the games behind closed doors, although International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach hinted at possible spectator reductions.

The second meeting of the panel will focus on border control, transportation for athletes and the third meeting on anti-virus measures at the Olympic village and competitions venues.

They will talk about countermeasures for stakeholders in the fourth meeting and for spectators in the fifth meeting. An interim summary is planned for compilation by approximately the end of 2020.

"We will make efforts so that athletes in Japan and overseas will feel that next year's Olympics is safe and secure because of our coronavirus measures," Muto said.

Japan reported 612 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, including 211 from Tokyo, which marked the first time since Aug. 29 that the daily figure has topped the 200-mark.

The latest figure for the capital, the hardest-hit of all of Japan's 47 prefectures, is also the 10th successive day that cases have reached triple digits.