Japan Considers Zero-Spectator Olympics Amid Backlash Over Covid Surge

"We are prepared for no spectators," Seiko Hashimoto, president of the Japan Olympic Organizing Committee, said late last month.

After a year of empty bleachers and fake crowd noises, sports fans are returning to stadiums around the world. But the one arena where they might not be welcome is the biggest event of all. Organizers of the Tokyo Olympics are set to decide next month if local spectators will be allowed to attend events, even as Japan works to tamp down a wave of infections that has cast doubt over the prospects of a mass gathering with cheering fans. Public opinion, already strongly against holding the games at all, is trending toward support for a zero-spectator Games. Barring domestic fans would deliver a significant financial blow, eliminating a major source of revenue. Their absence will also dampen consumption and spending by sponsors counting on most ticket holders being allowed to attend. Yet a ban would ease the strain expected on an already-stretched medical system, and may be the organizers' last card to play in order to pull off the Games at all. "We are prepared for no spectators," Seiko Hashimoto, president of the Japan Olympic Organizing Committee, said late last month. "But we want as many people to watch as the situation allows."