Tokyo Paralympics to be held without spectators due to COVID
Baku, August 17, AZERTAC
The Tokyo Paralympics will be held without spectators due to an alarming rise in coronavirus infections in the host city and many other parts of Japan, organizers said Monday, about a week before the opening of the games, according to Kyodo News.
The exception will be students participating in a government-backed education program, said the organizers, which also staged the recently concluded Olympics largely behind closed doors because of the coronavirus pandemic.
International Paralympic Committee chief Andrew Parsons and representatives of Japan's organizing bodies decided at a meeting to apply the no-spectator policy to Tokyo and the prefectures of Chiba, Saitama and Shizuoka, where all venues are located. They will also ask people not to gather along the roadside to watch outdoor events.
"I am very sorry to all ticket holders who were looking forward to spectating at venues, but I would like to ask for their understanding that this was unavoidable in terms of preventing the spread of infections," Seiko Hashimoto, president of the organizing committee, said at a press conference.
According to the organizing committee, students will be allowed to enter venues in Tokyo and the three prefectures if municipal governments and school administrations make requests by taking into consideration the wishes of parents and guardians.
During the Olympics, people including students from local schools taking part in the educational program were barred from entering venues in and around Tokyo.
Hashimoto said the organizers decided to allow those students this time, citing the educational value that the Paralympics have.
A nationwide survey conducted by Kyodo News showed Monday that 64.7 percent of the public want the Paralympics to be held without spectators. Of the respondents, 19 percent said the international sporting event should be canceled.
The Paralympics are expected to involve about 4,400 athletes from nearly 160 countries, but an IPC official said Afghanistan is likely to give up on participating in the games after the Afghan government collapsed on Sunday and the Taliban took control of the country.
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