Tokyo Olympics 2020: Organisers Ban Alcohol At Events; Defend Allowing Spectators

Tokyo Olympics organisers decided on Wednesday to prohibit the sale of alcohol at venues while defending plans to allow thousands of spectators.

Tokyo Olympics

Tokyo: Earlier this week, media reports that organisers were considering allowing alcohol consumption in Olympic venues sparked a public outcry, with the hashtag "cancel the Olympic Games" receiving tens of thousands of tweets.

With only 30 days until the start of an Olympic Games marred by the coronavirus pandemic and controversy, Tokyo Olympics organisers decided on Wednesday to prohibit the sale of alcohol at venues while defending plans to allow thousands of spectators.

"Following experts' advice, the organising committee decided against selling and drinking alcohol drinks at the venues so as to prevent spread of infections,"
Tokyo Olympics President Seiko Hashimoto told reporters that the decision to ban alcohol sales was supported by sponsor Asahi NSE -1.27 percent Breweries.
Alcohol sales have been restricted in and around Tokyo after health officials warned that drinking would encourage close contact, loud speech, and mingling in bars, all of which could aid in the spread of the virus.

Earlier, Hashimoto defended the decision of the organisers to allow spectators into Olympic venues. Last Friday, Japanese medical experts stated that prohibiting spectators was the least risky option, but they also included recommendations on how to host the Games if spectators were admitted. 

On Monday, organisers announced that up to 10,000 domestic spectators would be permitted into venues. Foreign visitors are not permitted.
"We decided that it would be better to do the best preparations we can for a Games with spectators," according to Hashimoto, who spoke at a media roundtable attended by Reuters on Tuesday, saying the decision was in line with the medical experts’ recommendations. 

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has not ruled out holding the Games without spectators if Tokyo is declared a state of emergency again, as it was only on June 21. The opening ceremony for the Games is scheduled for July 23.

Over the past year, organisers have pushed ahead with preparations for the Games, which were postponed from 2020 due to the pandemic, despite widespread public concern in Japan that hosting thousands of delegations from around the world could result in further outbreaks of COVID-19 infections.
Many Japanese people are sceptical that even a scaled-down Games can be held safely during a pandemic.

In a further blow to the organisers' assurances that the Games will be safe, a member of the Ugandan delegation who arrived in Japan over the weekend tested positive for coronavirus despite having been vaccinated and testing negative for COVID-19 prior to arrival.

According to local media, the nine-person delegation has cancelled their training plans and is currently quarantined in a hotel. Hashimoto stated the incident demonstrated the effectiveness of the coronavirus mitigation measures in place.

"We were able to precisely identify this person at the border because we have the appropriate border measures in place," she explained. However, the arduous preparations for the Olympics appeared to have taken their toll on the organisers. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike was hospitalised on Tuesday, according to Kyodo, citing unidentified sources. The metropolitan government announced earlier on Tuesday evening that she would be out of the office for the rest of the week due to exhaustion.