Paralympics Follows Suit With No Fans During Pandemic
By admin - August 17, 2021

With a pretty successful Olympics considering the pandemic, the Tokyo Paralympics are up next. All fans will be barred from Japan because of the increasing cases. Here are the highlights: 

  • There were a few exceptions to the rule with fans allowed in the outlying areas of Tokyo. The Paralympics may allow some children to attend unspecified events. 
  • After a meeting with International Paralympic Committee president Andrew Parsons, organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, and Olympic Minister Tamayo Marukawa, they all decided they wanted the public to stay away from the road events as well. 
  • The Paralympics open on August 24 with 4,400 athletes, which is a much smaller event compared to the Olympics’ 11,000 athletes. However, the acceleration of the virus and these athletes more susceptible to Covid-19 infections make it riskier this time around. 
  • Parsons knows it’s no joke because he says “everyone attending these games must be vigilant” in regards to the current case count.
  • Medical experts said that the infections tripled during the Olympics. It wasn’t necessarily the games but the people out and about who felt false security during the Tokyo Olympics. 
  • Prime Minister of Japan, Yoshihide Suga said the infections are rising at an alarming rate, and some are even calling this a “disaster.”
  • About 37% of the Japanese population is inoculated. Dr. Haruo Ozaki, president of the Tokyo Medical Association, said that having no fans is “a minimum necessity.”  They’re trying to keep things under control as the delta variant takes dominance.