TOKYO (UK) – Athletes arriving in Tokyo to participate in next year’s Olympic Games,will be exempt from the 14-day isolation period Japan has imposed on anyone arriving from overseas to help stop the spread of the virus.
Olympic organisers said on Thursday details are yet to be planned, but athletes are likely to have coronavirus testing within 72 hours before arriving in Japan. However, decisions on spectators from overseas are yet to be made, as it said a 14-day quarantine was “impossible”.
Tokyo 2020 Chief Executive Officer Toshiro Muto told a news conference, “Athletes, coaches and Games officials that are eligible for the Tokyo Games will be allowed to enter the country, provided significant measures are made before they get to Japan.”
He said a decision on foreign spectators would be made next year, based on how the pandemic pans out.
He said, “By next spring, we will be coming up with a plan for spectators, including non-Japanese spectators. It is impossible to set a 14-day quarantine period for foreign spectators, so tests before and upon arrival are needed.”
If fans are allowed into the venues, they may be requested to not shout or chant so as to reduce the risk of airborne droplets leading to the spread of the virus, Muto added.
Muto said he expected details of coronavirus counter-measures to be charted out during a three-day visit to Japan by International Olympic Committee head Thomas Bach next week.