TOKYO—Spectators from overseas will be barred from attending the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, organizers of the event said, a move to reduce the possibility of spreading of the coronavirus at the Games and boost tepid support for the event among Japanese.
The Tokyo Games are set to open on July 23, a year later than planned after the pandemic forced a delay. A decision on spectator levels for those in Japan will be made in April, the local organizers said.
Tickets sold to overseas spectators will be refunded, the organizers said. Around 600,000 tickets have been sold to people based outside Japan and about 4 million to people in Japan.
“Our first priority was, is and remains the safety of all participants of the Olympic Games, and of course the Japanese people to whom we owe so much respect,” International Olympic Committee President
Thomas Bach
said.
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