The Tokyo Olympics will allow some local fans to attend when the games open in just over a month, Tokyo organizing committee officials and the IOC said on Monday.
Organizers set a limit of 50% of capacity up to a maximum of 10,000 fans for all Olympic venues
The decision was announced after so-called Five Party talks online with local organizers, the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee the Japanese government and the government of metropolitan Tokyo.
The decision contradicts the country’s top medical adviser, Dr. Shigeru Omi, who recommended last week that the safest way to hold the Olympics would be without fans. He had previously called it “abnormal” to hold the Olympics during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Tokyo Games are set to open on July 23.
Fans from abroad were banned several months ago. Officials say local fans will be under strict rules. They will not be allowed to cheer, must wear masks, and are being told to go straight home afterward.
Organizers say between 3.6-3.7 million tickets are in the hands of Japanese residents.
