Japan Has Announced That Foreign Fans Won’t Be Allowed To Enter For The Tokyo Olympics Due To The COVID-19 Pandemic

The Tokyo Olympics has announced that international spectators will not be allowed into Japan for this summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organizers said in a statement on Saturday Mar. 20.

All overseas residents who purchased a ticket for the Olympic and Paralympic Games will be refunded, the organizing committee said.

The games, which were already delayed a year due to the pandemic, are scheduled to begin on July 23.

The decision was jointly made by the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee and Japan’s national and local governments to “give clarity to ticket holders living overseas” and “further contribute to ensure safe and secure Games for all participants and the Japanese public,” according to a statement from the organizers.

“In many ways the Tokyo 2020 Games will be completely different to any previous Games,” Tokyo Olympics chief Seiko Hashimoto said, according to the statement.

“However, the essential of the Games will remain unchanged, as athletes give their utmost and inspire the world with transcendent performances.”

She added that they are working on “specific plans to share support remotely from around the world and help bring people together in ways suited to our current times.”