The official statement read “Currently, the Covid-19 situation in Japan and many other countries around the world is still very challenging and a number of variant strains have emerged, whilst international travel remains severely restricted globally. Based on the present situation of the pandemic, it is highly unlikely that entry into Japan will be guaranteed this summer for people from overseas… the parties on the Japanese side have come to the conclusion that they will not be able to enter into Japan at the time of the Olympic and Paralympic Games”
Tokyo 2020 Olympics was due to begin on 23 July 2021 and the Paralympics on 24 August 2021, after both were postponed in 2020 as a result of Coronavirus. It was the first time in the event’s history that it had been postponed and was no small feat with over 11,000 athletes and 200 countries due to take part.
The hope was that the new dates would ensure that international travel could be conducted safely, and so this latest announcement will come as a huge disappointment to fans across the globe.
Organisers have said the decision gives needed clarity to ticketholders and helps ensure “a safe and secure Games for all participants and the Japanese public”.
International ticketholders will now be issued with a full refund. If you bought your tickets from a third-party source, you should contact them directly to check their procedures. Japanese ticketholders’ will be allowed to attend, and no doubt organisers will be making every effort to whip up support locally and fill refunded seats with Japanese fans.
Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, said the move is a “great sacrifice for everybody”.
“Every decision has to respect the principle of safety first. I know that our Japanese partners and friends did not reach this conclusion lightly.
“We stand shoulder-to-shoulder at the side of our Japanese partners and friends, without any kind of reservation, to make the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 a great success.”