Decision on local crowds at Tokyo Olympics by June end: IOC vice-president John Coates

Decisions on local crowds at the Tokyo Olympics are likely to be out by the end of this month, according to International Olympic Committee (IOC) vice-president John Coates. The Tokyo Olympics organizing committee has already banned overseas spectators due to the COVID-19 risk.

Coates stated that since several national-level sporting events are going on across Japan, the decision on the domestic crowds at the Tokyo Olympics is expected to be taken at the end of June. Several cities, including Tokyo, are already under a state of emergency until June 20.

One of the Tokyo Olympics’ main men, Coates certainly wanted spectators to be allowed in the stadiums which would also cheer up the athletes while performing at the sports’ grandest stage. The Tokyo Olympics was originally scheduled for 2020 but postponed for a year due to COVID-19.

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“I’d love to see (crowds) and I think the athletes would love to see it. I think the decision will be put off until a decision on the whole of sport at the end of the month. The national leagues are still going on ...The government will make a decision on crowds and I think it will vary from venue to venue, it won't be a fixed percentage for all.”

Tokyo Olympics will be a great event, says John Coates

The Tokyo Olympics has had a strong resistance from different sections of the society since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. While there have been protests on the streets of Japan, there was also strong opposition from the medical fraternity to cancel the Tokyo Olympics.

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However, the Japanese authorities and IOC have time and again reiterated that Tokyo Olympics will go ahead with all the stringent protocols in place.

With five successful test events already done, Coates is confident that the organizers will put up a safe show as far as the health of the population and athletes are concerned.

“I’m very, very confident in the work undertaken by our Japanese hosts. We’ve also got the experience since last November of some 240 international sporting events taking place around the world involving 50-60,000 athletes. It’s on that basis that I’m confident.”