Tokyo Summer Olympics To Be Held Without Spectators

The Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee announced today that the 2020 Summer Olympics will not have any spectators in attendance. The announcement comes after the Japanese government declared a state of emergency due to rising Coronavirus cases.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga made the announcement citing the Delta Variant and a wider spread of the virus,

“Taking into consideration the impact of the delta strain, and in order to prevent the resurgence of infections from spreading across the country, we need to step up virus prevention measures,”

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihde Suga

Another concern that Japanese health officials have is the region Tokyo is in has a high amount of infections. Japan’s director-general of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Ryuji Wakita, addressed these concerns,

“Two-thirds of the infections in the capital region are from Tokyo, and our concern is the spread of the infections to neighboring areas,”

Ryuji Wakita director-general of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases

However, the other main concern regarding COVID in Japan is Tokyo because health officials have concerns about large gatherings. Dr. Shigeru Omi, who is the chief medical advisor to the Japanese government, address the issue,

“The infections are in their expansion phase and everyone in this country must firmly understand the seriousness of it”

Dr. Shigeru Omi, top government medical adviser

What Is The Consequence for Tokyo?

So, with the games starting in the next two weeks, today’s announcement is another bad blow for Japan as now there is less chance for revenue. For instance, according to economists, the expected budget for this year’s Summer Olympics is approximately $5.8 billion dollars. So with Japan not having any spectators either from around the world or in the country, the ability to profit. However, with the countdown to the Olympics in the final days, the possibility of a postponement or cancelation is extremely not likely.

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