BREAKING NEWS: Overseas fans are BARRED from the Olympics: Tokyo 2020 bosses confirm they won't let spectators travel to Japan as ticket-holders are handed refunds over fears of spreading new variants
Overseas fans will be barred from this year's pandemic-postponed Tokyo Olympics because of ongoing coronavirus concerns, organisers announced Saturday.
'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 into Japan at the time of the Olympic and Paralympic Games,' the Tokyo 2020 organising body said in a statement.
The International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee 'fully respect and accept this conclusion', the statement added.
The delayed Tokyo Olympics will go ahead this summer but without overseas spectators
Officials met Saturday for talks, and were expected ahead of the meeting to bar overseas fans in a bid to reduce virus risks and win over a sceptical public.
The move is an unprecedented decision that will further scale back once-grand ambitions for the pandemic event.
When the decision to postpone the Games was taken last year, officials said the delay would allow them to hold the event as 'proof of humanity's triumph over the virus.'
But instead, the Games are shaping up to be a largely television-based event for most of the world, with little of the international party atmosphere that usually characterises an Olympics.
Olympic and Paralympic tickets purchased by overseas residents will be refunded
Japan's Covid vaccination programme has got off to a slow start over the last four weeks
'Setting priorities like safety also means that you have to respect these priorities,' International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach said as the talks opened.
'That means we will have to take difficult decisions that may need sacrifices from everybody.'
Saturday's meeting included officials from the IOC, International Paralympic Committee, Tokyo 2020 organisers, the Tokyo city government and Japan's government.
Their decision has been widely anticipated in recent weeks, with leaks suggesting organisers believe a bar on overseas fans is the only option as they work to make the Games safe despite the pandemic.
Olympic Minister Tamayo Marukawa said decisions taken Saturday would be key to 'alleviate the anxiety towards the Games within and outside Japan, so that people can be confident that the Games will be held in a safe and secure manner.'
The IOC had reportedly sought limited exemptions for some overseas guests, but the rules are likely to be strict.
Another criticism aimed at the Tokyo Olympic organisers is the lack of clarity on how to refund tickets for overseas spectators.
Earlier this week, the International Olympic Committee were urged to provide clear policies on refunding tickets, after the issue was raised during the virtual IOC Session by Greek member Spyros Capralos.
Overseas ticket sales are largely dealt with by Authorised Ticket Resellers (ATRs), which each have their own refund policies to make matters less clear.
Around 4.5 million tickets were sold for the Olympics, with a further 970,000 sold for the Paralympics.
Domestic ticketholders were offered a refund window last year.
Tokyo 2020 chief Seiko Hashimoto has admitted it will be 'difficult' for even the families of foreign athletes to attend.
Olympic Minister Tamayo Marukawa said decisions taken Saturday would be key to 'alleviate the anxiety towards the Games within and outside Japan
Just how many domestic spectators will be in venues this summer has yet to be decided.
Organisers originally suggested they would rule on that by April, but IOC chief Thomas Bach has said the decision could be pushed closer to the July 23 opening ceremony.
Whatever they decide, there's no doubt that barring overseas fans will help make the Games a very different event from years past.
'It has never happened that foreign spectators were banned from entering the host country at the time of the Games, even during the Spanish flu at the time of the Antwerp 1920 Olympic Games,' said Jean-Loup Chappelet, a Lausanne-based professor who specialises in the Olympics.
'Even for Athens 1896, the Cook agency organised 'packages' for those who wanted to attend the first modern Games.'
When the Games were postponed last year, organisers and Japanese officials had hoped that the pandemic would be receding by spring 2021.
There's still hope that Japanese residents can still attend this summer's Games
The Olympic Rings sit in front of Japan's Olympic headquarters and the new National Stadium
They proclaimed the event would mark the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, and a celebration of the end of a global crisis.
But even with vaccines rolling out in much of the world, the virus continues to cause havoc, and the narrative from Olympic officials looks to be changing.
The torch relay kicks off next week, with spectators barred from the launch ceremony and those lining the route asked to avoid cheering.
'There is no secret that these Games are going to be different from previous editions,' said IPC head Andrew Parsons.
'We must accept that we are all facing challenging circumstances all around the world.'
In an interview last week, Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto acknowledged that the virus situation in the Japanese capital remained 'extremely serious' and said the Games offered 'solidarity' during a difficult time.
Organisers are still hopeful some domestic supporters will be able to attend the Olympics
Japan's public remains sceptical about the safety of the event, with a majority opposed to holding it this year and favouring either cancellation or further postponement.
But organisers and Olympic officials have said neither of those are options, and they have put together virus rulebooks they say will ensure the Games are safe regardless of the pandemic.
The IOC is also encouraging athletes to get vaccinated, even securing a supply of doses from China to offer to those in countries without advanced inoculation programmes.
The year-long delay and virus safety countermeasures have helped balloon Tokyo 2020's already mammoth budget to an eyewatering £10billion (1.64 trillion yen), making the Games potentially the most expensive summer Olympics in history.
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