NO SPECTATORS AT OLYMPIC GAMES

Organisers of the Olympics have announced that no spectators will be allowed at the Olympic Games.

With Covid-19 cases on the rise in Japan since June, there are fears that big group gatherings and tourists will just increase the number of positive cases. On Wednesday, Japan reported its highest number of positive cases since May.

"There is a remarkable increase of infections, especially in the big cities in the Tokyo area," said Yasutoshi Nishimura, the minister in charge of the country's pandemic response, reports CNN. "The more infectious Delta variant now accounts for up to 30% of cases," he added.

With most of the events taking place in and around the city of Tokyo, no spectators will be allowed. Where events will be taking place in cities further away from the host city, local spectators will be allowed to attend. The maximum capacity will be capped at 50% though, at a limit of 10,000 people.

Both Japan and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) are taking a big knock with spectators not in attendance.

CNBC reports that more than 6 million tickets were sold for the 2016 Rio Games, bringing in roughly $1.2 billion. With the Tokyo Games not bringing in a lot of money, it will have a huge impact on budgets for the IOC.

The 2020 Tokyo Games is set to run from 23 July to 8 August.

Image credit: Japan Times