TOKYO OLYMPICS BRING NEW CHANGES FOR THE 2021 SPECTATORS By Rosanna Marinelli

     Photo curtesy of eurosport.co.uk 

TOKYO OLYMPICS BRING NEW CHANGES FOR THE 2021 SPECTATORS

By Rosanna Marinelli

June 23, 2021

After the first postponed Olympics in decades, the 2020 Tokyo Games resume this summer, now with capacity restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

After the first postponed Olympics in decades, the 2020 Tokyo Games resume this summer, now with capacity restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is no surprise that the Olympics attract millions of people, athletes, and staff. Such an important event in the sports world needs the unique energy that the public delivers to each game. The largest attendance at the games has not reached such an all-time record, since the 1996 Olympics held in Atlanta, with a record of 8.3 million tickets sold out. But, before the pandemic hit, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced tremendous success in the ticket sales for the Tokyo Games in 2020, with 4.5 million tickets sold out three months ahead of the competitions and over 80 million tickets requested since sales began in 2019.

Despite the challenging year, Tokyo is preparing the city for one of the world's most significant events, commencing July 23. As the show must go on, Japan Olympics minister, Seiko Hashimoto told NBC News that attendance is no longer the main priority this year and preventive measures will be taken to ensure safety, which could include "bringing down the number of spectators, a cap on the spectators or ... no spectators," Hashimoto conveyed via a translator.

This year, the Olympics will feel different from the previous years. We will no longer see millions of people cheering and supporting their team in the stadiums, as securing everyone’s health is indispensable and utmost priority. 

Japanese officials expect approximately 93,000 people, including athletes and fans traveling to Japan for the event, forcing strengthened restrictions to minimize the spread of the virus.

"Spectator limit for the Olympic Games has been set at 50% of venue capacity, up to a maximum of 10,000 people; a decision on the Paralympic Games will be made by July 16, 2021." 

With the recent rise of COVID-19 cases in Japan, disapproval towards the games led to a poll conducted by the Japanese newspaper, Asahi Shimbun, in May estimating that around 83% of the population voted to cancel the Olympics due to the high risk, amid the pandemic. However, more recent polls have displayed a drop to approximately 50%, as the government adheres to more precautions.

As fan attendance is still an integral part of the Olympics experience, NBC will provide a full-day coverage of the Tokyo Opening Ceremony for the first time, "allowing viewers another opportunity to experience this historic moment and creating a near Ceremony takeover of NBC,” the company states.