OLYMPICS EMERGENCY
THE Tokyo Olympics will take place in a state of emergency - and will be behind closed doors.
When overseas fans were banned earlier this year it was still envisaged that domestic crowds of up to 10,000 spectators could attend events.
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But with Covid cases in Tokyo rising rapidly - and just 25 per cent of Japan’s adult population having received a single dose of the vaccination - the government have declared a state of emergency across the city.
And it is a move that has kiboshed any hope of fans being there.
Tokyo 2020 President Seiko Hashimoto said: "It is regrettable that we are delivering the Games in a very limited format, facing the spread of coronavirus infections.
"I am sorry to those who purchased tickets and everyone in local areas."
Tokyo has been put under THREE previous states of emergency.
But the new will last until August 22 - a fortnight after the end of the Games which officially open on July 23.
Government leaders have just confirmed the new regulations.
They will force restaurants to shut early, effective curfews for many and strictly limit the sale of alcohol in Tokyo and the surrounding prefectures of Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa.
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Wednesday saw 920 new cases of Covid in Tokyo, the highest daily tally since May 13.
It is likely that only VIPs will be allowed to attend the gala Opening Ceremony and parade of nations in the Olympic Stadium on July 23.
The International Olympic Committee was pushing hard for some sponsors, guests and diplomats to attend.
But now all events will be entirely fan-free.
Olympic Minister Tamayo Marukawa said organisers had agreed to hold the Games without spectators in Tokyo, and to decide according to the local situation for venues outside of the capital.
Medical experts have said for weeks that having no spectators would be the least risky option, amid widespread public fears that an influx of thousands of athletes and officials will fuel a fresh wave of infections.
Team GB have already flown out to the Far East to finish their preparations ahead of the rearranged Games.
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Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga declares Tokyo state of emergency two weeks before Olympics
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