The looming threat of a fifth wave of COVID-19 infections has put plans for allowing spectators at the Tokyo Olympics in doubt, as the ultimate choice on how many — if any — will be able to watch the events has moved into the political arena.
With signs emerging of a new wave of infections in the capital and surrounding prefectures, competing narratives are emerging about the safety of allowing fans at Olympic venues as organizers seek to prevent the games from becoming a superspreader event.
According to one report, citing unidentified officials, the government and organizers are reviewing the current spectator policy, which would allow venues to be filled to 50% of capacity with a maximum of 10,000 people. But any possibility of lowering the spectator cap to 5,000 per venue and holding a fresh lottery to further whittle down ticket holders has now been thrown into uncertainty with the announcement of a fresh state of emergency for the capital.